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HISTORICAI- SU^^i'LEMENTARY READING 



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Story of our Country 



By MRS. LEWIS F. MONROE 



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^73 



BOSTON 
LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers 

10 Milk Street next "Old South Meeting House " 



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1 





Class £ J7 i 



Book 



Copyright I^^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




Pooahontas and her Attendants bringing Corn to tlae Settlement. 
(See rings 71.) 



THE 



Story of Our Country. 



MRS. LEWIS B. MONROE„ 



BOSTON 
LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers 



" The greatest glo7'y of a free-born people 
Is to transmit that freedom to their children" 



Copyright, 1876, by Lockwood, Brooks & Co. 
Copyright, 1904, by Mrs. Lewis B. Monroe. 



The Storv of Our Country. 



I JC! !^ 1S04 

CLASS «.XXo. Na 
COPY BT 



Notfaooti ?3wBss: 

Berwick & Smith Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 




HOW THIS STORY CAME TO BE WRITTEN. 



Mother and her two children, Will and Lizzie, 
are sitting before a bright fire in a pleasant parlor. 
Will is twelve years old and Lizzie ten. They are 
earnest, wide-awake children, full of fun and frolic; 
but through all their good times, they are constantly 
learning much that will be useful to them in after 
life. Mother never refuses to answer their ques- 



6 HOW THIS STORY CAME TO BE WRITTEN. 

tions ; Imt with patient love seeks to impart to them 
the desire of finding beaut}^ and goodness every- 
where. 

What merry times, then, do Will and Lizzie have, 
when, supper being over, they sit down before the 
crackling logs in the open fireplace, to talk over the 
pleasures of the day, or hear mother tell stories. 

Ah! what stories has she told them! — of birds, 
and beasts, and flowers ! Tlie wonders of fairy 
land, too, she has often unfolded to the eager little 
listeners. After every story, whether of child-life, 
bird-life, or fairy-land, she is greeted by the ques- 
tion, *' Is it true, mother?" 

The delight with which Will and Lizzie always 
hear the answer, " Yes, it is all true 1 " has led 
mother to tell them 

The Story of Our Country. 



CONTENTS 



COLUMBUS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Four Hundred Years Ago, 9 

II. A Brave Voyage, and What Came of it, .... 20 

III. What afterwards happened to Columbus, ... 29 

JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT. 

IV. More Discoveries, 37 

SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 
V. Trying to make Homes in America, 46 

JOHN SMITH. 
VI. A Colony with a Leader, 55 

VII. A Noble Indian Girl, 68 

THE PILGRIMS. 

VIII. The Home of Freedom, 79 

ROGER WILLIAMS. 
IX. Alone in the Woods, 97 

X. More Colonies, 107 

WILLIAM PENN. 
XI. A Friend to the Indians, 114 

XII. The Pequod War, 124 

7 



8 CONTENTS. 

KING PHILIP. 

CIIArxER VAGE 

XIII. King Philip's Wak, lL>ri 

XIV. King Georgk's War, 142 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIR. 
XV. "IIow A Poor Boy became a Famois Man, . . 147 
XVI. What happened to an English General, . . . 157 

THE ACADIANS. 
XVII. Driven into Exile 167 

XVIII. The French and Indian War. - . 172 

GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

XTX. Washington's Boyhood, 179 

XX. Anger at the Mother Country 185 

XXI. Stirring Tuies in Boston, 193 

XXII. The Quarrel Increases, 200 

KXllI. The Revolutionary War, 210 

XXIV. The War goes on, 224 

XXV. The American Cause more Hopeful, ..... 232 

MARION. 
XXVI. The War at the South, 241 

BENEDICT ARNOLD. 
XXVII. A Traitor, 252 

XXVIII. Victory at Last, 259 

XXIX. The Ship of State, 269 



The Story of our Country. 
I. 

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 

Mother. — If we could be up in a balloon high 
enoiig'h to see the world beneath us, how do you 
think it would look? 

Will. — Like a great ball, of course. 

Mother. — Now, if we could imagine ourselves to 
be living four hundred years ago, and up in a bal- 
loon, we should see very many more people on one 
side of the globe than on the other. We should 
find crowds of people in Europe, Asia, and the 
northern part of Africa; but we should find ver} 
few people on tlie other side of the globe ; that is 
in North and South America. 

Lizzie. — What should we see in America ? 

Mother. — We should see great forests and vast 
plains, or prairies. These prairies were covered 
with waving grass and beautiful flowers. Herds 

9 



10 THE STOKY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

of buffaloes were sporting here. We should see, 
too, beautiful lakes and rivers, and troops of deer 
feeding along their banks. In the dark forests we 
should see foxes, wolves, and panthers. 

Lizzie, — Were there any bears ? 

Mother. — Yes, there were bears, and other wild 
animals ; for there were so few people in America 
then that the animals were not driven from their 
wild haunts. 

But let us see ! If we had lived four hundred 
years ago, we should have known nothing about 
balloons ; we should not have known even that the 
world was round. 

Will. — Why, mother, you do not mean to say 
that people were so stupid as not to know that the 
world is round ! 

Mother. — I do, indeed. For hundreds of years 
people had wondered what shape the earth could 
be. It was generally thought to be flat. In the fif- 
teenth century there were many in every country 
of Europe who thought that the world might he 
round, and, if it were round, that there might be 
countries on the other side which they had never 
heard about. 

Will. — I don't see why captains and sailors had 
never come to other lands when they were cruising 
about. 



FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 11 

Mother. — Ships were not built so strong in 
those days as they are now. Navigators — that is, 
people who follow the sea — had never dared to 
sail very far from the land. So they discovered 
only a few islands in their voyages. 

England was a great power even then, and owned 
many ships. These ships sometimes went to Hol- 
land, or, still farther, to Russia, through the Baltic 
Sea. They oftener Avent south, along the western 




Ships of the Fifteenth Century. 

coast of France, and through the Straits of Gibral- 
tar, into the Mediterranean Sea. A few ships had 
ventured still farther south, cruising along the 
western coast of Africa. But they had never gone 
far enough to learn the shape of Africa. Still less 
did they imagine that they might go around its 



12 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

southern point, and thus find a passage by water to 
the great countries of Asia. 

Will. — I tell you what ! If I had been a navi- 
gator in those days, guess I would not have been 
afraid to cruise along till I found out the way to 
Asia ! 

Mother. — And if you had been such a brave 
navigator. Will, as to have dared to double the 
Cape of Good Hope, America might not have been 
discovered to-day. 

Lizzie. — Why, mother ! I don't see how that 
could be. 

Mother. — You know I told you just now that 
most of the ships went into the Mediterranean, 
The reason was, that all the countries of Europe 
carried on trade with India, the richest country of 
Asia. But it took a long time to get anything to 
or from that distant place ; for, after the ships had 
reached the eastern ports of the Mediterranean, 
then all the merchandise had to be carried to the 
Red Sea on the backs of camels. There the goods 
were again shipped for India. This Avas a very ex- 
pensive way of trading; and in every country the 
merchants were saying, " Is there no easier way to 
get to India ? " 

About this time there was a little child born in 
Genoa, Italy. His grandfather and many of his 



FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 13 




Loaded Camel. 

uncles had followed the sea. As this little boy, 
whose name was Christopher, grew older — 

Will. — Do you mean Christopher Columbus ? 

Mother. — Yes, I am talking about Christopher 
Columbus when lie was a little boy ; and I began 
to say that when his uncles were home from sea, he 
heard them tell wonderful stories about the great 
ocean. He used to wish he were a man, so that he 
could go to sea, too. And, sure enough, when he 
became older, he did go, and made many voyages 
between the different ports in the Mediterranean 
Sea. Wherever he went, he always tried to learn 
something new. He was never ashamed to ask 
questions of those who were older than himself, or 
of those who had seen more of the world. And as 
he was so often at the large cities where the mer- 
chants were receiving goods from the East, he, of 
course, heard a great deal about a shorter passage 
to India. 



14 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

At one time it so happened that the ship in which 
Columbus was sailing took fire. Columbus leaped 
overboard, and by the aid of an oar, which was 
floating in the water, he swam to the shore, a dis- 
tance of six miles. 

Will. — Six miles ! I say, not many men could 
swim six miles. Was he all alone then on an 
island, like Robinson Crusoe ? 

Mother. — No; he found himself in Portugal. He 
had a brother at Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. 
This brother, named Bartolomeo, earned his living 
by making maps and charts. Columbus went to 
see him. 

After this, Columbus married the daughter of a 
sea captain. His wife's father owned a great many 
charts and nautical instruments, such as Columbus 
had never seen ; so that he had a chance to learn 
still more about the sea. 

Lizzie. — But, mother, what did Columbus do for 
a living in Portugal ? 

Mother. — He made maps and charts. Then, 
too, he often went on voyages to Africa. When 
far out at sea, he would lie on the deck watching 
the stars, and thinking of Him who made them. 
He wondered if the stars were worlds. Then he 
thought of our own world, and wondered if it were 
round or flat. " If it is round," said he, " then we 



FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 15 

might reach India by sailing west. Everybody 
says that all Europe needs a shorter passage to 
India. When men needed to venture on the seas 
farther than they had before dared to do, did not 
God give them the compass, to tell them which 
way they were going? And will He not show 
men the shorter route to India, if the time has 
come when they need it? If the earth were 
round, we could sail about it, and carry what is good 
and useful in one country to all other countries. 
Thus mankind would be made wiser, better, and 
happier, if they could be sure that the world is 
round. I know it must be round." 

After tliis, Columbus never doubted that if he 
were to sail west from Europe, he should come to 
India. The thought haunted him so, day and night, 
that he determined to see if he could not get his 
government to fit out some vessels for a voyage 
of discovery. " If there are new lands discovered," 
he said, " the flag of my native country shall be the 
first to float over them." So he went to Genoa and 
asked for aid. It was refused him, and he was 
laughed at for his folly. 

Then he got permission to go before the King 
of Portugal. He showed the king his charts, and 
explained to him why he believed the earth was 
round. 



16 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — I hope this king was sensible, and let 
him have some ships. 

Mother. — No ; on the contrary, the king' said, 
"The man is mad! Hasn't everybody always be- 
lieved that the world was flat? And does this poor 
fellow know more than everybody else ? " 

Will. — "Poor fellow!" Humph! He knew 
more than the king! 

Mother. — Columbus was somewhat discouraged 
by the king's refusal, and for a time he felt that per- 
haps God had not chosen him to show people that 
the earth was round. His good wife died, too ; and 
he was left all alone in the world Avith his little boy, 
Diego, whom he took with him wherever he went. 

'' I will leave Portugal, and go to Spain," he said. 
So he started on foot, with little Diego by his side 
to travel to that country. He had spent what little 
money he had while trying to get a hearing with 
the King of Portugal. He was hungry, tired, and 
foot-sore, and was anxious about little Diego. 

Lizzie. — I know good Columbus cared more for 
his little boy than he did for himself 

Mother. — I think so, too; and he must have 
said to himself, " Will God let my little boy die 
with hunger ? " But at last he came to a monas- 
tery, where some good men lived who took pleasure 
in caring for tired travellers. 



FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 



11 



One of these men, Juan Perez, took pity on Co- 
lumbus. He said, " This noble-looking man is no 
common beggar ! " He not only gave him and his 
little boy food, clothing, and shelter, but he became 

the best friend Co- 



lumbus had ever 
known. Of course 
Columbus told him 
all his history, and 




Columbus with. Diego begging at the Monastery. 



how sure he was that he could find India, if he 
could only have vessels enough. He also told 
him how the King of Portugal had refused to aid 
him. 

Juan Perez said, ''How do you know but that 
our good King Ferdinand and his noble Queen 
Isabella may be willing to listen to you?" 
2 



18 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

" But," said Columbus, " I have no one to lielp me 
get a hearing at their court." 

Juan Perez talked over the grand scheme of Co- 
lumbus with the wisest navigators he knew. And 
when he found they believed that Columbus was 
right, he made up his mind that he would see what 
he himself could do to introduce Columbus to the 
king and queen. Now, it so happened that Juan 
Perez was a minister, or priest ; and at one time 
the queen had sent for him, to talk with her about 
heavenly things. So he was not a stranger to the 
queen. He wrote a letter to Isabella, begging her 
to let him come and see her. 

She consented ; and Perez told her all about Co- 
lumbus, — how noble and good he was, — and then 
asked her if his friend might come and tell his story 
for himself. 

Lizzie. — 0, I hope Isabella let him come ! 

Mother, — Yes ; Columbus was allowed to go 
before the king and queen, and tell what great 
things he hoped to do for the world. 

King Ferdinand was not very friendly to Colum- 
bus ; and said there was no money to spare for such 
an enterprise. But Isabella believed in him, and 
said, " He shall have the money, even if I have to 
part with all my jewels ! " 

Will. — Good for Isabella ! She thought more 



FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 19 

of helping Columbus than she did of making a great 
show with her jewels. 

Mother. — Isabella was worthy of being a queen, 
for she was always doing good. But she little 
thought how much good she was doing, when she. 
gave orders to have vessels fitted out for Columbus. 

Will. — I guess that made Columbus a happy 
man ! 

Mother. — Yes, indeed. For ten years he had 
been trying to get help from the different govern- 
ments. 

Lizzie. — Ten years ! Poor man ! I wonder he 
did not get discouraged. 

Mother. — Great men are not easily discouraged. 



20 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



II. 

A BRAVE VOYAGE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 

Will. — I want to know whether little Diego 
went with his father on his great voyage. 

Mother. — No ; Diego was a little boy no longer. 
He was now twenty years old. The queen felt so 
kindly towards Columbus that she asked him if he 
would allow Diego to become a page to her little 
boy. Of course Columbus was very grateful to 
Isabella for this; for it was a great honor to 
Diego to have the king and queen trust the little 
prince with him. 

Will. — If I bad been Diego, I should much 
rather have gone to sea with my father, than to 
have staid in the king's palace all the time. 

Mother. — Diego may have felt so, too; but 
probably Columbus thought it would be for his 
son's advantage to have such good friends as the 
King and Queen of Spain might be to him. 

So he bade good-by to Diego, and went to Palos, 
on the western coast of Spain, to oversee the fitting 
up of his ships. 



A BRAVE VOYAGE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 21 

Will. — How many did he have ? 

Mother. — Three; one large and two smaller ones. 
It took three months to get them ready to sail ; for 
they stowed away provisions enough to last a whole 
year ; and it was difficult to find sailors who were 
willing to start off on such an uncertain enterprise. 
" If we go, we shall never come back," they said. 

But finally the crews were found, and the ships 
were ready to start. 

Will. — • Of course Columbus went in the largest 
ship — didn't he ? 

Mother. ■ — Yes ; he took command of the Santa 
Maria. And one Friday morning in August, 1492. 
Columbus and liis officers, having first asked God 
to bless and guide them, set sail, directing their 
course west from Spain. 

When night came on, and they lost sight of land, 
they began to realize what dangers were before 
them. 

" What fools Ave were to come ! " said the sailors. 
'' Here we are, sailing off into the darknesj', we 
know not where. Even Columbus himself does not 
know ! " 

But the next morning, when the bright sun rose 
over the waters, they felt less afraid, and said, "Per- 
haps we may find a wonderful country." 

After they had been sailing about five weeks, 



22 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

they saw a large tree or mast floating on the water. 
This gave them all new hope, and they said, " We 
shall surely see land soon." 

But in two weeks after this, a fearful storm came 
on, which terrified the crews so much that they 
said, " God is not pleased with us. Columbus must 
turn back.'' But the storm cleared away, and soon 
after this, all on board the ships were thrilled with 
joy as they heard the cry, " Land ! land ! '" 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! 

Will. — Guess the sailors did not think they had 
been fools then ! 

Mother. — Columbus was so overjoyed that he 
caused the anthem, " Glory to God in the highest ! " 
to be sung in all the ships. 

But, alas ! as they drew near the supposed land, 
it proved to be only a thick cloud in the horizon. 

After this, the sailors were more discouraged 
than ever. " Shall a hundred and twenty of us 
throw away our lives for the sake of one man who 
has lost his senses?" said they. ''No! let us seize 
Columbus, and throw him overboard ! " 

But Columbus was not afraid of the men. He 
went amongst them, and said, " My brave men, I 
know we are coming to a glorious land — a land 
where we may find more beautiful treasures than 
we ever dreamed of. Shall we all turn cowards? 



A BRAVE VOYAGE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 23 

What immortal honor will that sailor have who 
first spies land ! And if honor be not enough for 
him, then shall he have a purse of gold." 




This gave the sailors 
fresh hope and courage. 
And at two o'clock in 
the morning, October 
12, seventy-one days 
after they had left 
Spain, they were again 
all startled with joy. 

A gun was fired from one of the ships, and they 

heard the cry, " Land ! land ! land ! " 

As soon as the light enabled them to see, they 

found themselves near a beautiful island. The air 



Arrival of Columbus's Fleet. 



24 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

was filled with a delicious fragrance from unknown 
flowers. They saw trees laden with fruit, such as 
they had never seen before. Strange, bright birds 
were flitting in and out of the shady groves. 

Columbus and all his men were enchanted. " One 
would like to live in a place like this forever," said 
they. 

Soon they saw crowds of half-clothed natives run- 
ning along the shore. 

'' Who are those people ? " asked the sailors of 
Columbus. 

*' They must be Indians," said he. For Columbus 
thought they had reached India. 

Will, ■ — Well, there ! now I know why the red 
men of America are called Indians. 

Mother. — Yes, Columbus thought he had at last 
got an answer to the merchants' question, " How 
shall we find an easier passage to India ? " 

Lizzie. — But he was not quite right — was he, 
mother ? 

Mother. — No ; and probably he himself knew 
that he had not reached the trading part of India. 
He evidently thought he had found a portion of 
India that was unclaimed by any sovereign. For, 
with his heart full of gratitude to Isabella, Avithout 
whose favor he never could have made the great 
discovery, he was anxious to claim the new-found 



A BRAVE VOYAGE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. 25 

land for her. So, as soon as the morning sun gikled 
the eastern waters, boats were lowered from the 
ships. Then, midst the sound of martial music 
and the firing of guns, the three commanders were 
rowed to land. 

Columbus first stepped on the beach. Filled 
with awe and gratitude to God, he stooped and 
kissed the ground, wetting it with his tears. 
Then, rising and drawing his sword, he unfurled 
the royal banner, and took possession of the new- 
found land in the name of the crown of Spain. 

Lizzie. — 0, how thankful Ferdinand and Isabella 
must have been to Columbus ! 

Will. — 1 want to know what the natives did. 
Were they afraid? 

Mother. — No ; when they saw the ships, they 
supposed them to be great birds coming to them 
from Heaven. 

Lizzie. — They must have thought the sails were 
the birds' wings. 

Mother. — And when they saw Columbus and 
his officers step on shore, they thought they were 
gods. They bowed themselves to the ground. 
They kissed Columbus's feet. Then they brought 
the best of everything they had to the new 
comers. 

Will. — What did they bring? 



26 THE STOEY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — They brought beautiful flowers ; and 
gave them bananas and honeycomb to eat. They 
spread fresh palm-leaves on the ground for them 
to lie down on. They made their little children 
come and kiss them. They showed them beautiful 
springs of water. Then they invited them by signs 
to their little houses, which were huts or wigwams. 
In short, these poor, simple natives did everything 
in their power to show that they were glad to see 
the strangers. 

Lizzie. — I hope Columbus treated them well. 

Mother. — Yes. One day a sailor was unkind to 
one of the natives. Columbus was very angry. He 
invited the Indian on board his ship, and gave him 
beads and other trinkets. Then he let him go back 
to the shore. The sailors watched him through a 
spy-glass, to see what he would do. 

Will. — What did he do ? 

Mother. — He put on all the finery which Colum- 
bus had given him. Then he strutted up and down 
the shore, to show himself off to the other natives. 

Now look on your maps, and find where Columbus 
first landed. He called the island San Salvador. 

Will. — Why, that is in the mouth of the Gulf 
of Mexico — one of the West Indies — isn't it? 

Mother. — Yes ; and can you not tell now, Lizzie, 
why those islands are called the West Indies ? 



A BRAVE VOYAGE, AND WHAT CAME OP IT. 27 

Lizzie. — 0, I see I Columbus thought at first he 
had found India. 




The Voyage of Columbus. 



Mother. — Yes ; and India is sometimes called 
the East Indies. 

Lizzie. — And the country Columbus found by 
sailing west from Spain they called the West 
Indies. 



28 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — You are quite right. Look once more 
on the map, and find the other islands discovered 
by Columbus. They are Conception, Ferdinand and 
Isabella, Exuma, Cuba, and Hayti. He must have 
liked the looks of Hayti, for when he reached here, 
he took to pieces his largest ship, the Santa Maria, 
and built a fort, calling the island Hispaniola, or 
Little Spain. 

He cruised about the islands for three months, 
and then went back to Spain, taking some of the 
natives with him. 



WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS. 29 



III. 

WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS. 

Will. — We want to hear more about Columbus, 
and how he was treated when he got back to Spain. 

Mother. — I wish I could tell you as dehghtfnl 
things about liis life as you heard in our last talk; 
but I must tell you the truth, though it is not always 
pleasant to hear. 

When Columbus first reached Spain, ten weeks 
after he left Hayti, or Hispaniola, he was received 
with a great deal of attention. The king and queen 
and all the court people heard him tell his adven- 
tures with as much interest as you listen to me. 
The king appointed him governor of Hispaniola, 
and placed him in command of seventeen ships 
and fifteen hundred men, to go back and make 
other discoveries. His brother Bartolomeo went 
with him. 

Lizzie. — I am sure, mother, he had good luck. 

Mother. — So he had, up to this point ; but after 
this everything seemed to go against him. It 
was not so easy for Columbus to manage fifteen 



30 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

hundred men as one hundred and twenty. Many 
of the men were envious because they had never 
made great discoveries. Then, too, they thought 
they should find gold and precious stones lying 
about on the ground as common as pebbles ; be- 
cause they saw that the natives whom Columbus 
brought back wore rich jewels on their necks. 

Will. — They were not very bright to think so, 
any how. They might have known that the Indi- 
ans wouldn't care anything about gold, if it was as 
plenty as dust. They would n't think any more of 
it than they would of common stones in the street. 

Mother. — You are perfectly right, Will. And 
you will always find that men value things just in 
proportion as the things are hard to get. But 
these foolish men did not think of this. They 
wanted to become rich without working ; and be- 
cause they found they could not do this, they hated 
Columbus, and said he was a traitor and a liar. 
They even tried to take his life. 

Will. — Then they were meaner than the sailors 
who wanted to throw him overboard ; for they were 
afraid for their own lives. But these men were 
already in the beautiful new country. 

Mother. — Yes, Will ; and when Columbus, after 
trying for three years, found it was impossible to 
satisfy them in any way, he made up his mind 



WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS. 31 

to go back to Spain, first having discovered the 
Windward Islands, Jamaica, and Porto Rico. He 
also founded a colony in Hispaniola, and left it in 
command of his brother Bartolomeo. 

Lizzie. — Wasn't the king glad to see Columbus 
this time ? 

Mother. — Not so glad as before. The men who 
returned with him said untrue things about him. 
And then, too, the king expected he would have 
made greater discoveries on this voyage than on 
the first. 

Will. — Perhaps Ferdinand thought that as he 
let him have ten times as many men, he ought to 
have discovered just so many more new countries 
to pay for it. 

Mother. — Perhaps so. The king does not seem 
to have lost confidence in him entirely, though his 
coolness hurt Columbus very much. Isabella still 
believed in him ; and it was through her influence 
that money was raised for another voyage. 

He remained in Spain about two years, and then 
returned across the Atlantic, this time with six ships. 
Instead of going directly back to the West Indies, 
he bore farther south, till he reached the mouth of 
the Orinoco. 

Lizzie. — I remember that river. It is in South 
America. 



32 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRy. 

Mother. — Yes. And when Columbus saw what 
a wonderful river it was, and what beautiful flowers 
and magnificent trees grew along its banks, and 
what bright-plumed birds were in the trees, he 
said, '^ This must be the river that flows through 
the Garden of Eden ! " 

His health was then very poor; so he went to 
Hispaniola to rest. But the poor man had any- 
thing but rest there. He found great confusion 
on the island. Every one wanted to please him- 
self, and would not mind Bartolomeo, who was lieu- 
tenant governor in Columbus's absence. 

King Ferdinand heard of the troubles in Hispan- 
iola, and sent over an officer to inquire into affairs 
there. But the officer, before making any inquiries, 
arrested Columbus and his brother, and put them 
in chains. 

Lizzie. — 0, how cruel ! 

Mother. — Columbus was thrown into prison, 
where he was confined many weary months. 

One day he asked of an officer who came to lead 
him from his cell, " Are you taking me to death ? " 

" Your excellency is to be conducted to Spain," 
was the answer. 

Will. — Columbus taken to Spain ! 

Mother. — Yes, and in chains. The officers on 
board the ship were ashamed of the insults heaped 



WHAT AFTERWARDS HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS. 33 

upon him. They felt their own littleness in the 
presence of this brave discoverer — this greatest 
man of the age. They offered to free him from his 
chains. But Columbus said, sadly and proudly, — 

" No ! I will wear them as a memento of the 
gratitude of princes ! "' 

Lizzie. — But, mother, what was the king think- 
ing of? Columbus on this voyage had discovered 
the continent of South America. 

Mother. — The king seems to have thought little 
of this. It is true that when Columbus arrived in 
Spain, the king gave orders to have him immedi- 
ately released. But Ferdinand was dissatisfied, and 
appointed another man governor of Hispaniola. 

Lizzie. — Didn't Isabella do something for Colum- 
bus then ? 

Mother. — The noble queen never lost faith in 
him ; and when she first saw him after his arrest, 
she felt so much pity for him that she wept. 

Will. — I believe in Isabella ! 

Mother. — Her generous sympathy did much 
towards reviving the courage of Columbus. She 
again fitted him out for a voyage at her own ex- 
pense, taking money which she liad intended to 
use at the wedding of her daughter Isabella. And 
Columbus started off on his third voyage. 

This time he was in command of only four ships 
3 



34 THE STOEY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

and one hundred and fifty men. His object was to 
search for a passage through tlie Gulf of Mexico. 
He stopped at Hispaniola, but was refused admis- 
sion to the island. After cruising about for two 
years on the south coast of the gulf, he was driven 
by famine and other hardships back to Spain. 

Isabella, his best friend, was dead. He was now 
seventy years old, poor, and out of health. He had 
no home to go to, and had scarcely money enough 
to pay for a lodging. 

'' The king knows it all, but does not care," he 
said to himself. 

But through all his misfortunes, Columbus never 
lost his trust in God. 

'*' Into thy hands, Lord, do I commit my spirit," 
were his last words. 

Thus this greatest of discoverers died in poverty, 
and almost alone. For a long time scarcely any one 
knew where his body was laid. But after seven 
years the king felt ashamed not to have noticed 
his death. So he caused a maible tomb to be 
erected over his remains, with tlie words inscribed 
upon it, " To Castile and Leon Columbus gave a 
New World." 

Lizzie. — Doesn't Spain own very much land in 
America now ? 

Will. — Not much, and I am glad of it. 



WHAT AFTEEWAEDS HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS. 35 

MoTHEE. — No; Spain now owns but two of the. 
West India islands, though she formerly owned a 
large part of South America. Will says he is glad 
Spain does not own much on this continent, since, 
through her ingratitude to Columbus, she threw 
away her chance of owning the whole of it, or at 
least of laying claim to it. 

I am glad, too, that Spain did not get a stronger 
foothold on this continent ; but not for the same 
reasons as yours, Will. If the Spaniards had ruled 
here, we, the descendants of the Puritans, might not 
have enjoyed such privileges as we now enjoy. 

At another time I shall tell you how the other 
countries of Europe began to lay claim to American 
soil. Before we close this talk, you will be inter- 
ested to know that the remains of Columbus having 
been twice removed from their resting-place, were 
finally conveyed with great pomp to the cathedral 
of Havana, Avhere they now repose. 

Will. — I want to know why our country was n't 
named after Columbus. It seems to me that it 
ought to have been. 

MoTHEE. — It does seem so ; and the poet must 
have thought so when he wrote, — 

" Hail, Columbia, happy land ! " 

This country was called America in honor of 



36 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Americus Vespucius, who sailed across the ocean 
seven years after Columbus's great discoveries. 

Will. — I don't think it was fair, to honor Amer- 
icus Yespucius more than Columbus. It was no 
great feat to follow in another man's footsteps. 

Mother. — So I think. All the world knows that 
Columbus was the greater hero of the two. 

Lizzie. — Mother, I want to know what became of 
Diego. Was he alive when Columbus died ? 

Mother. — Yes. He afterwards claimed from the 
king the rights that had been granted and then 
taken from his father. He thus became Governor 
of Hispaniola. He soon after married the daughter 
of a duke. He seems to have had a quiet life, quite 
unlike the daring, enterprising life his father had 
lived. 



MORE DISCOVERIES. 37 



IV. 

MORE DISCOVERIES. 

Mother. — We have seen that Spain was the first 
European country that laid claim to the lands this 
side of the Atlantic. But while the Spanish flag 
was flying in the West Indies, the kings of the 
other countries in Europe were saying, " Would 
that Columbus had been a subject of ours ! " 

Will. — 1 wonder if Columbus would have met 
with no better luck, if he had done as much for 
some other king. 

Mother. — We cannot know that ; but I do know 
that the next adventurer who went across the sea 
to claim land for his king, died also a poor, forgotten 
man. 

Lizzie. — Why, mother, who was that ? 

Mother. — His name was John Cabot. He, too, 
was born in Italy, but he had gone to live in Eng- 
land. As Columbus had proved that the world was 
round, it was not difficult for John Cabot to get 
leave of the King of England to go across the seas 
to discover other new lands. 



38 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

" Columbus did not find the main land of India — 
only the islands this side of it," said Cabot. " Who 
knows but that I can discover the trading part of 
India ! " 

So John Cabot and his three sons, in the year 
1497, started off in a single vessel to try their for- 
tunes in the western Avorld. After they had been 
sailing a month, they reached the northern part of 
the continent of North America. 

Lizzie. — In 1497 ? Why, that was one year be- 
fore Columbus discovered South America. 

Will. — But five years after he had proved that 
there was land across the water. 

Mother. — The Cabots really discovered the main 
land of America before Columbus did. But I feel 
we must give all the honor to Columbus. Later dis- 
coverers were cheered on by what they knew had 
been done by other men. Columbus, calm and brave, 
relied only on the voice of God in his own heart. 

Will. — Did the Cabots stay long on the conti- 
nent ? 

Mother. — No, they did not. The}^ sailed along 
the coast far enougli to be convinced that they had 
found a continent ; then, as they Avere getting short 
of provisions, they returned to England. 

''We did not find India,'" they said to the king,- 
•' but we think we found China." 



MORE DISCOVERIES. 



39 



This pleased the English king, Henry VII., very 
much ; and he said, " Go back again with six large 
ships, and find other lands." 

But John Cabot died soon after this. So the 




%|4 



Cabot's Ships among the Icebergs. 

most enterprising of his sons, Sebastian Cabot, 
made the voyage. 

" We shall surely now find the shorter passage to 
India," said Henry VII. 



40 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Sebastian Cabot sailed to the far north, enduring 
great hardships amongst the icebergs. Then he 
sailed along the coast as far south as Florida. He 
landed upon the continent in several places, and 
planted the English flag. 

" This is the most immense country the world 
ever dreamed of ! " said Sebastian. 

Will. — It seems to me Sebastian Cabot must 
have had a strange sort of feeling when he was 
putting those flags along the coast. Just think ! 
All that great country, and no white man ever 
there before ! 

Lizzie. — Don't you believe ho was afraid ? 

Will. — Afraid? No! What was there to be 
afraid of? Only wild animals. And of course his 
gun would keep those off". I know what I should 
have kept thinking, if I had been Sebastian Cabot. 

Mother. — Well, what ? 

Will. — I should have said to myself, " What 
will Henry VII. say when I get back to England, 
and tell him of this great country?" 

Mother. — When Henry VII. was told that Se- 
bastian had not found India, he was vexed, and said, 
" The voyage was a failure." 

Will. — I didn't know before that kings could 
be so stupid. 

Mother. — One reason why the English king was 



MORE DISCOVERIES. 41 

disappointed, was because Portugal had become 
famous in discoveries tlirough Vasco da Gama. 
This man, fitted out by the Portuguese govern- 
ment, had reached India by the Cape of Good 
Hope. And all Europe was rejoicing that the 
passage to India by water had been found. 

Lizzie. — Didn't Sebastian Cabot fare any better 
than Columbus ? 

Mother. — Not in the treatment he received from 
Henry VII. Upon that king's death, Sebastian was 
called to Spain by Ferdinand. 

Will. — Ah, ha ! I guess Ferdinand began to 
think he had n't made out of Columbus all that he 
might have done. 

Mother. — Perhaps so. At any rate, he always 
treated Sebastian Cabot with honor. He made him 
Pilot Major of Spain ; and no ship was allowed to 
sail to the West Indies that Cabot had not examined 
and approved. 

Lizzie. — Didn't Sebastian Cabot ever goto Amer- 
ica again ? 

Mother. — Yes ; his voyage was not a very suc- 
cessful one, however. 

Sebastian Cabot was second only to Columbus 
among the many adventurers who crossed the At- 
lantic. He braved dangers and hardships not for 
his own sake. Like Columbus, he hoped thereby 



42 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to benefit the world. He lived to be an old man ; 
but to the last he was full of enthusiasm about the 
new-found world. 

In the latter part of his life he returned to Eng- 
land. Queen Mary was then upon tlie throne. 
Under her patronage a party of discoverers were 
about to start off for America. Sebastian Cabot 
rejoiced at this almost as much as if he were going 
himself. 

" I am too old to go," he said. " I may not live 
to hear you tell your adventures. But my heart 
goes with you." 

On the eve of their sailing he went on board their 
ship, and gave each one of the crew a handsome 
sum of money. Then, going on shore, he invited 
the whole ship's company to a supper. After the 
supper they had a dance ; and the dear old man, 
then eighty-one years old, got up and joined in 
the merry-making. His heart grew young at the 
thought that other men might make still greater 
discoveries than he had done. 

Will. — He was better off than Columbus ; for 
he had no money to treat his friends with, if he had 
wanted to. 

Mother. — True. Queen Mary provided Sebas- 
tian Cabot with a comfortable living. But England 
did not then realize all that he had done. Her 



MORE DISCOVERIES. 48 

queens and kings, however little they may have 
done, are mouldering- to-day under gorgeous monu- 
ments ; but no one knows the burial-place of him 
who gave England a continent. 

Will. — I should think every king in Europe 
would have wanted to own land in America. 
Didn't any other kings send ships over to make 
discoveries? 

Mother. — The King of France was the next to 
lay claim to a part of the continent. Seven years 
after the discoveries by the Cabots, a number of 
humble fishermen from the northern part of France 
went to Newfoundland, and established a success- 
ful fishing trade. And thirty-seven years after 
the English flags were planted on the coast, the 
French flag was flying over the country we now 
call Canada. 

Lizzie. — Then there were only three kings own- 
ing land in America, 

Mother. — True ; the kings of England, France, 
and Spain. For a number of years after the time 
we are now talking of, France owned Canada. 
England owned the country along the coast, and 
for some distance inland, between Canada and 
Florida. Spain claimed the West Indies, and all 
the country around the Gulf of Mexico. 

Will. — It must have been good fun to go over 



44 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to a new country and explore, and see what one 
could find. I suppose that is how America got to 
be so full of people afterwards. I should have 
liked it, I tell you ! — to follow up the rivers that 
you knew were not on the maps, and climb the 
mountains, to see what kind of a country it was ! 
And then I should like to hunt for gold and pre- 
cious stones, and get acquainted with the Indians. 

Mother. — Ah, my boy ! you little know the hard- 
ships one has to suffer in going to a new country ! 
T shall try to give you an idea of it in telling you of 
the first settlements. 

Lizzie. — Well, mother, did the people go over 
to America because they thought they would like 
there just what Will says he would like ? 

Mother. — There seem to have been three dif- 
ferent reasons why people went over from Europe 
to America. Columbus and several navigators after 
him went to find a western passage to the East In- 
dies. When a passage had been found to India by 
going around Africa, then the cry was, " Let us go 
to America for gold ! " 

But it is a singular fact that no comfortable 
homes were established in America till people 
went — not for discovery, not for gold, but for 
freedom — freedom to have such governments as 
the people needed, and freedom to worship God. 



MORE DISCOVERIES. 45 

Lizzie. — Didn't the people have freedom in 
Europe ? 

Mother. — They did not have such freedom as we 
have in this country. Only kings and nobles were 
rich there ; they lived lives of ease, and were sup- 
ported by the poor people, who had to work hard 
all the time, and then did not have enough to eat. 

Will. — What ! these poor people had to give 
their money to the rich ? I would not stand that ! 

Mother. — That is the way kings have been sup- 
ported. But when people heard that there was a 
beautiful great country across the waters, they be- 
gan to say, " Wouldn't it be better to go and try our 
fortunes there, rather than to stay here, where we 
know we shall be poor and half starved all our 
days ? " So America began to grow. 




Crossing the Ocean. 



46 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



V. 

TRYING TO MAKE HOMES IN AMERICA. 

Mother. — About one hundred years after Amer- 
ica was discovered, there was a very wise queen on 
the throne of England, whose name was Elizabeth. 
She seemed always anxious to do what seemed for 
the glory of her country. She had thought a great 
deal about America. She said to herself, " Who 
knows but these lands in America may bring 
wealth to my people ? " So when one of her 
favorites, Sir Walter Raleigh — handsome, kind, 
and brave Sir Walter Raleigh — asked if he might 
try to make homes for the English people in Amer- 
ica, Elizabeth was very glad. She gave him the 
privilege of fitting out ships, and sending such 
things as were needed to make people comfortable 
in their new homes. 

Raleigh loved and honored his queen. For her 
sake he was anxious to do everything in his power 
for the good of England. This is one reason why 
he was interested in settling America. He said, 
" America would be a precious jewel in the crown 



TRYING TO MAKE HOMES IN AMERICA. 



4? 



of our queen, if it could be settled and made pros- 
perous by her English subjects. I will work for 
this. I will use my money to fit out ships. I will 
do all I can to attract people to America." 




And Sir Walter Raleigh had more to do with 
colonizing this country than any other man. Still, 
all the settlements made by the people he sent 
over were failures. 

Will. — I don't see why, if they had provisions 
— that is, if they did not go too far north. 

Mother. — They did not go too far north, nor too 



48 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

far south. They landed in a pleasant season of the 
year. But one great cause of their troubles was, 
that they were not kind to the natives. At one 
time these first settlers came to a little Indian 
town. They missed a silver cup. Of course they 
knew some Indian had taken it. And what do you 
suppose the white people did in return ? 

Lizzie. — I guess they tried to find out which 
Indian had stolen it, and then punished him. 

Mother. — No ; they at once set fire to the whole 
town, and burned it to the ground ; and then they 
set fire to their fields of corn. 

Will. — But, mother, what was Raleigh doing ? 
I thought you said he was a good man. 

Mother. — He was a good man, one who was 
always kind to others. But he w^as not with the 
settlers. Queen Elizabeth thought so much of him, 
she could not spare him from England. 

Lizzie, — What did the Indians do, when they saw 
their town burned down ? 

Mother. — They only went aAvay to find another 
place to live in. But they never forgot this cruelty. 
They said to themselves, '^ We know now that these 
pale-faced strangers are cruel. We cannot trust 
them." 

These first settlers did not stay long after this. 
They went back to England. But they gave such 



TRYING TO MAKE HOMES IN AMERICA. 49 

glowing accounts of the country — of its fine soil, 
its beautiful trees, and its rich fruits — that Queen 
Elizabeth was very much pleased. And she said, 
" This place shall be named Virginia, in honor of 
me." For Elizabeth was called the Virgin Queen. 

Lizzie. — I guess Raleigh was happy when he 
saw how pleased the queen was. 

Will. — If these people liked the country so 
well, why didn't they go back to it? 

Mother. — Some of them did go back ; and a 
great many others went with them. The most of 
these never left America again. 

Lizzie. — Wliy, mother, I thought you said the 
settlement was a failure. How could it be if some 
really staid in Virginia? 

Mother. — This is the saddest part of my story 
to-night. About a hundred of the last settlers, 
men, women, and children, finding that their pro- 
visions were giving out, begged their governor to 
go back to England and get more supplies. 

" I must not go and leave you," said the gov- 
ernor ; " I must stay here to help you." 

" But," said the settlers, " if you stay here, we 
shall all starve. It is better that you should go 
back for more provisions." 

So the governor returned to England, leaving 
with the settlers his own daughter and her baby 
4 



50 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

girl, — the first white child born in America, — little 
Virginia Dare. 

" We are glad the governor leaves his daughter 
and his little grandchild amongst us," they said ; 
" we know he will come back quickly to help us." 

Will. — Well, didn't he? 

Mother. — Yes ; but he was delayed. And when 
the ships got back to America, not a single white 
person could be found. It was never known 
whether they went to live with the Indians, or 
whether they starved to death. 

So, Lizzie, you see I was right in saying that 
many of the settlers did not return to England, and 
yet the Virginia settlement was a failure. 

Lizzie. — I see now. It was very sad. 

Will. — I should think Raleigh would have felt 
bad about it. 

Mother. — He did; and it is said he sent out 
companies of men five different times, hoping they 
might find the missing ones. But the poor settlers 
were never heard of again. 

Will. — I thought you said Raleigh had more to 
do with colonizing America than any other man. I 
don't see that he really did much. 

Mother. — He did not succeed in giving any last- 
ing homes to the European people, it is true ; but 
those whom he sent over brought back three things 



TRYING TO MAKE HOMES IN AMERICA. 51 

which had a great influence on both countries after- 
wards. 

First, potatoes had never been seen in Europe 
till Raleigh caused them to be brought over. 
There had been terrible famines in Europe before 
this. But since people have found how easily po- 
tatoes can be raised, the poor have not suffered so 
much for want of food. 

In the next place, Raleigh brought over tobacco 
from America. 

Will. — Why, did not people ever use tobacco 
till then? 

Mother. — Never in Europe. The English learned 
the habit of smoking from the Indians, and at first it 
seemed quite a strange thing in England. 

One day Raleigh was smoking. His servant 
came into the room, and as he had never seen 
any one smoke before, he was very much fright- 
ened. He thought his master was on fire. He 
rushed out of the room, seized a bucket of water, 
and running back, threw it over Sir Walter. 

Lizzie. — That is what you would want to do to 
Will, if you saw him smoking — isn't it, mother?" 

Mother. — I hope there will never be any occa- 
sion to try it. 

Will. — What was the third thing you were 
going to speak of? 



52 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — This is not so easy to tell you about ; 
and yet it was more important than either of the 
other two. We might say that the third thing 
Raleigh brought to England was " good news from 
America." For every time a ship returned, all the 
people on board would tell what a lovely country 
America was ! how easy it was to raise corn ! and 
what great tracts of land one could get to own just 
by sailing over there ! 

No poor man could own land in Europe. And to 
know that there were millions of acres of land in 
America which no one was using, made many want 
to go there. Before Raleigh's day it was a great 
affair to sail across the Atlantic. But Raleigh sent 
out so many ships, and they came back so quickly, 
that people said, '' It is not such a difficult thing to 
go to America, after all. We Avill go and see the 
country ; and if we do not like it, we can come back 
in a little while." 

So we can see that Raleigh opened the way, and 
made it easy for other settlers to go to America. 

Will. — I don't see why none of those sent over 
by Raleigh had good luck. 

Mother. — It was because there were no men 
among them fit to be leaders. We always find 
that aay great enterprise will fail, if there be not 
one man engaged in it who can think and plan for 
the rest. 



TRYING TO MAKE HOMES IN AMERICA. 53 

Can you tell me now what place in the United 
States will always remind you of Sir Walter 
Raleigh ? 

Will. — I suppose you mean Raleigh, the capi- 
tal of North Carolina. 

Mother, — Yes ; this city was named for Sir 
Walter Raleigli, and it is built on the very spot 
where those poor emigrants lived Avho were never 
heard of alter their governor went back to England. 

AViLL. — You said a moment ago that the settlers 
landed in Virginia. Now you say they were at 
Raleigh in North Carolina. 

Mother. — I see why you arc puzzled. Virginia 
once included North and South Carolina, which 
were afterwards made into separate states. 

Lizzie, — But, mother, I want to know what be- 
came of Raleigh. Was Queen Elizabeth displeased 
because he could not make the people stay in 
America ? 

Mother. — The queen was very angry with him 
at one time, but not for that reason. He married 
a lady without asking Elizabeth if he might. This 
vexed her so much that she caused him to be put 
into prison. She pardoned him afterwards ; but Sir 
Walter was never again a favorite at court. And 
during the reign of the next sovereign, James I., 
Raleigh was beheaded, after having been im- 



54 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

prisoned in the Tower of London for thirteen 
years. When we were in London we saw the 
little cell in which Raleigh spent so many lonely 
years. And we were sorry that so good and brave 
a man — one who took so much interest in settling 
our country — should have had such a gloomv end. 



A COLONY WITH A LEADER. 55 



VI. 

A COLONY WITH A LEADER. 

Will. — Mother, I want to hear how the next 
settlement in America succeeded. Was it long 
after Raleigh gave up trying to colonize Virginia? 

Mother. — It was about eighteen years before 
any more people tried to colonize. Do you re- 
member why the first settlement was a failure? 

Will. — You said it was because there was no 
man fit to be a leader. 

Mother. — Then if I tell you that the next settle- 
ment was a success, you will know it was because 
there was one man who could think and plan for 
the rest. 

Lizzie. — Now I guess we are going to hear some- 
thing interesting ! 

Will. — Because we are going to hear about a 
smart man. 

Mother. — Yes ; I am going to tell you about a 
brave man. His name was Captain John Smith. 

Will. — Captain ! Was he a navigator, too ? 

Mother. — No ; he was at one time a soldier in 



56 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Austria ; and when lie was promoted for good ser- 
vice and bravery, he became captain. He was born 
in England. His parents were intelligent and kind 
people. As soon as he was old enough to read, he 
was anxious to travel. His father died when he 
was only thirteen years old ; and soon after, he 
started off to see the world. 

I should like to tell you how he went on foot 
through the different countries of Europe, and what 
strange adventures he had ; but there is so much 
to tell you about him in connection with our own 
country, that I must hurry on to that. 

When Smith was about twenty-five years old, he 
got tired of travelling in Europe, and he thought 
he would go home to England. At that time there 
were a number of people who were thinking of go- 
ing over to America. Smith happened to meet the 
man who was getting up the party. His hame was 
Gosnold. 

Lizzie. — Gosnold ! What a funny name ! 

Mother. — This Gosnold had been in America ; 
and Smith was very much interested in hearing 
him tell what he had seen there. Of course Cap- 
tain John Smith, who could not rest till he had seen 
the principal countries of Europe, felt he must go 
and see America, too. 

Nearly a year was spent in getting ready for the 



A COLONY WITH A LEADER. 57 

expedition. And in December, 1606, three ships 
set out from England for America. 

Can you tell me, Lizzie, how long this was after 
Columbus made his first discoveries in America ? 

Lizzie. — Let me see. Columbus made his first 
discovery in 1492. From 1492 to 1592 is one 
hundred years ; and from 1592 to 1606 is fourteen 
years. 

Will. — So the first real settlement in America 
was made one hundred and fourteen years after it 
was discovered. 

Mother. — You are right. And can you tell me 
who was King of England when Raleigh died ? 

Will. — I guess I shall not forget that. It was 
James I. And I shall always be vexed whenever 
I hear any one speak of him ; because he gave 
orders to have poor Raleigh's head cut off! 

Mother. — While Captain Smith and others were 
fitting out their ships, Raleigh was in prison, await- 
ing his death. So now you know who was king 
during this next American settlement. 

Will. — James I. ! Humph ! Then I know things 
did not go just right with the settlers. 

Mother. — If James T. had been a different kind 
of man, he might have made things much pleasanter 
for them. He said to himself, '' Now these people 
who are going to America are all my subjects. 



58 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

I must do something that shall make tliem feel my 
power, even when they are across the wide ocean." 
So he made plans for governing the settlers, and 
put the papers containing them into a box, which 
was not to be opened till they reached America. 
The names of the men who were to take charge of 
the new government were not even made known. 

Will. — Then I'm sure they got into trouble. 
For if any little quarrel came up, who was to 
settle it ? 

Mother. — You are quite right. There were hard 
times on the voyage over. Their minister, Rev. Mr. 
Hunt, a gentle, good man, tried to smooth matters, 
and then the quarrelsome ones turned upon him. 
Captain Smith tried to defend Mr. Hunt, by saying 
he was right and they were wrong. What did they 
do, then, but take Captain Smith and put him in 
chains ! They kept him confined till they reached 
America. But when they found his name was in 
the box as one of those who were to govern, they 
let him go. 

Lizzie. — - What did Smith do, mother, when he 
was free ? 

Will, — I know what I would have done. I 
Would have written to England and made a com- 
plaint. 

Mother. — Then vou would not have been such 



A COLONY WITH A LEADEE. 59 

a help to the colony as Smith was. He did not stop 
to think of his own wrongs at all, but went rig'lit to 
work to make the settlers comfortable. 

Lizzie. ^ — -Where did they land, mother? Just 
where the other poor settlers landed, who were 
never heard of again ? 

Mother. — They intended to land at the same 
place — Roanoke Island. Perhaps they thought 
they might find traces of their other countrymen. 
But a severe storm came on, so that the ships were 
driven as far north as Chesapeake Bay. The storm 
proved a blessing ; for they had a much better 
place than the other settlers had had. Here they 
anchored, and a large party went on shore to ex- 
plore. Soon they met five Indians, who were so 
frightened that they started to run. But the cap- 
tain of one of the ships told the Indians by signs 
that they felt very kindly towards them. So they 
were not afraid any more, but invited the party to 
go and visit their little town. 

Will. — That is what I should like to see — an 
Indian town. 

Mother. — The Indians treated the party as 
generously as they knew how to do. They gave 
them corn-cake, and tobacco and pipes ; then enter- 
tained them with a dance. This meant that they 
were very glad indeed to see the white people. 



60 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

After the party returned to their ships, they left 
Chesapeake Bay, sailing up a river which flows into 
its southern part. 

Take your map, and see if you can find the river. 

Will. — I see it — James River. I suppose they 
called it after that mean king, James I. 

Mother. — It was the month of May. The woods 
on either side of the river were full of singing birds. 
The air was fragrant with spring blossoms ; and the 
hills were beautiful with fresh verdure. The little 
company of emigrants were enchanted. 

After sailing up James River about forty miles, 
they came to a peninsula. This site was so lovely, 
commanding so fine a view of the river and sur- 
rounding country, that they chose the spot for tlieir 
settlement. They named this place after their king, 
too. Look again on the map and find it. 

Lizzie. — I see it. You must mean Jamestown. 

Mother. — Yes. After landing, the men whose 
names were in the box formed themselves into a 
government, and chose a president. 

Will. — I hope they chose Smith. 

Mother. — On the contrary they left him out of 
their government altogether. 

Lizzie. — Did Smith want to go back to England 
then ? 

Mother. — No, indeed. He showed the same 



A COLONY WITH A LEADER. 61 

manly spirit he did before, when they treated him 
so unfairly. He went right to work for the good of 
all, as if nothing had happened. 

Of course the thing to be done now was to clear 
away the forests, and get materials for building. 
At first, it being a novelty, every man went to 
work with a good Avill. But soon many of the set- 
tlers got tired of this, like children who get tired 
of building block houses ; so they left off working, 
and wondered if there was not an easier way to 
get along. 

Smith, who had seen so much of the world, knew 
that the only way to have a successful settlement 
was through hard work. He did all he could to 
inspire the rest with courage and hope. He divided 
the work, and made plans for the little town they 
were commencing. 

Will. ■ — • Didn't Captain Smith go and get ac- 
quainted with the Indians ? 

Mother. — Yes, indeed. But he did not go far 
away from the settlers during the first summer. 
He was afraid they would leave off building. And 
if they did so, how could they live through the com- 
ing winter ? 

But cold weather came on, and Smith saw* that 
there were houses enough for the settlement. The 
ships that brought them over had gone back to 



62 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

England. Their provisions were nearly gorip,., and 
they did not know where to get more. 

Lizzie. — Why didn't they go into the fields^ and 
get corn and such things ? 

Mother. — They had no fields of corn. You must 
remember they had to clear away the forests before 
they could get a place even to build houses upon. 

Will. — And that took so much time, they didn't 
have a chance to plant. 

Mother. — That is so. And if it had not been for 
Smith, they would all have starved. 

Will. — I think I know how he got something for 
them to eat ! He went to the Indians. 

Mother. — You have guessed right. Smith said 
to himself, '' These Indians must have plenty to eat. 
They must have provisions laid up to last till spring. 
Perhaps I can get them to open a trade with our 
settlement, and thus obtain all we need." So, in 
company with several men, he started up a river 
that flows into the James, quite near Jamestown. 
See if you can find it. 

Lizzie. — I see the name — Chickahominy. 

Mother. — Smith went up the Chickahominy as 
far as he could in his barge. Then he left it, and 
went higher up the river in a canoe, with only two 
Englishmen, and two Indians who promised to show 
the wav to their town. 



A COLONY WITH A LEADEE. 63 

After sailing about twenty miles, he left his canoe 
with the men, and in company with one of his Indian 
guides, went on shore to shoot game. 




Indian Canoe. 

He had been gone but a little while, when two or 
three hundred Indians, with their cruel chief, sur- 
prised the men in the canoe. 

" Shoot them ! Kill them ! " yelled out the chief. 
Upon that the Indians let their arrows fly till the 
two men were dead, stuck full of arrows. 

Lizzie. — 0, how glad I am that Captain Smith 
had left the canoe ! 

Mother. — The Indians saw by the boot-tracks 
on the shore that there were more men in the 
company. So they started off in the direction 
Smith had gone. 

Smith saw them coming, and knew by their 
horrid yells that they meant to kill him. 

" If I appear frightened, it is all over with me," 
said he to himself. 

So he bound his Indian guide to his arm for a 
shield, and looked carefully at his fire-arms, which 
he always carried loaded. As soon as the Indians 



64 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

came near, he fired ofi" his gun so rapidly that he 
killed three Indians and wonnded several others. 
The Indians had never heard a gun before, and 
they were so frightened they did not dare go near 
Smith. Keeping his eye on the Indians, he tried 
to make his way back to the canoe. But the first 
thing he knew he Avas up to his waist in a bog. 
Even then they did not dare come near him till he 
threw away his fire-arms. 

Will. — I don't see why he did that. 

Mother. — Because he was almost dead with cold. 

Lizzie. — What did the Indians do then ? 

Mother. — They drew Smith out of the freezing 
mud, and carried him to a fire, and carefully rubbed 
his stitFened limbs. As soon as he could speak, he 
asked to see their chief 

Smith had in his pocket a ver}' pretty ivory com- 
pass. He gave this to the chief, and showed him 
how the little needle always pointed to the north. 
The Indian was amazed. 

Soon after this they marched him to a large 
Indian settlement. He was led by six great sav- 
ages. When they got to the Indian town, they fed 
him so generously that he suspected they were go- 
ing to fatten him and then eat him ; for he knew 
that savages did sometimes eat people. 

Will. — I should think he would have been too 
much frightened to eat. 



A COLONY WITH A LEADER. 



6^ 



MoTTiETi. — Smith never lost his courage. After he 
had becii with the Indians a few days, he found they 
Avei-e making- great preparations to attack Jamestown. 
They came co jiln. f^r advice and help. 




John Smith and the Indians. 



Will. — Now I know why they did not kill him ! 

Mother. — He was glad enough that they had 
spared his life thus far, for he was again able to be 
of service to the settlers. He told the Indians that 
5 



66 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

it was a very dangerous thing for them to try to 
destroy Jamestown, that every man there had guns 
and swords, and that there was a great fort filled 
with loaded cannon. This frightened them so much 
that they gave up all thoughts of attacking James- 
town. 

Soon after this they led Smith around to show 
him off to the different tribes near the three rivers 
which flow into Chesapeake Bay, north of the James. 
See if you can find these rivers on the map, 

Lizzie. — There is the James ; and next comes 
York River. 

Will. — The river north of that is the Rappahan- 
nock, and the next is the Potomac. 

Mother, — Very good. So, you see. Smith had a 
chance to become acquainted with the country. 

Will. — With the Indians, too. And that is Avhat 
he wanted. 

Mother. — The Indians were as curious to under- 
stand Smith as he was to know them. Did the 
Great Spirit send him to bless them, or was he the 
messenger of evil ? One day he puzzled them veiy 
much. He took a piece of birch bark and wrote a 
message on it, and then sent it by some of the In- 
dians to Jamestown, Could this white man make 
chips talk ? What would he do next ? Should 
they treat him as a friend or a foe. They danced 



A COLONY WITH A LEADER, 



67 



around him to please him. They made hideous 
yells to frighten him. Finally, they led him before 
Powhatan, who was king of the tribes in that part 
of the country. 




An Indian Village. 



G8 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



vn. 

A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 

Mother. — Powhatan was a tall, noble-looking 
savage. When Smith came before him, he was 
seated on a wooden throne. Ho wore a great robe 
of raccoon skins, and on his head a coronet of 
feathers. He was surrounded with attendants — 
Indian men and women, painted red, black, or white, 
and wearing strange-looking ornaments. Some of 
them had rings in their noses. 

The whole crowd gave a shout wlien Smith 
entered. One, who seemed to be queen, came and 
washed his feet, and Aviped them with feathers. 

After they had feasted him generously, the In- 
dians had a long talk with Powhatan, as to what 
should be done with him. 

Lizzie. — 0, I liope they didn't kill him ! 

Mother. ■ — Among the strange-looking groups. 
Smith saw a beautiful young Indian girl. From 
the number of attendants about her, he judged her 
to be a princess. This was Pocahontas, the king's 
daughter. She seemed to know what the Indians 



A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 69 

were talking about ; for her dark eyes looked anx- 
iously first at Smith and then at her father. 

At last it was decided that Smith should be killed. 
Two large stones were placed before Powhatan. 
Smith was dragged to the spot, and his head was 
laid upon the stones. The great club of one of the 
cruel chiefs was raised, to beat out Smith's brains ; 
when Pocahontas, leaping through the crowd, threw 
herself before Smith, and clasping his head in her 
arms, cried out, — 

" Kill me ! kill me ! He shall not die ! " 
Powhatan's face showed at first surprise, then 
anger, then tenderness. The chief's great club 
fell to tlie ground. 

^' Let him live ! " said Powhatan. 
And so the little colony at Jamestown was again 
saved. 

Will. — That's what I call a noble girl ! 
Lizzie. — Did Smith have a chance to talk with 
her after that ? 

Mother. — 0, yes. He took a great deal of pleas- 
ure in making little things for Pocahontas to wear, 
such as strings of beads, bells, and copper orna- 
ments. 

Pocahontas had a brother, a fine, manly fellow, 
who also took a ftmcy to Smith, and did many kind 
things for him. 



70 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY, 

Lizzie. — I am glad some one treated him well at 
last. It seems as if he had met with nothing but 
hard treatment ever since he left England. 

Mother. — For several days Powhatan was un- 
decided what he should do with Smith. Finally he 
tried to frighten him by having two hundred Indians 
howl around him in the most direful manner. Then 
he said, — 

'' We are now friends. Go back to Jamestown. 
Send me two guns and a grindstone, and I will give 
you much land, and love you as my own son." 

Smith did not believe him. He expected every 
moment to be killed. But he reached Jamestown 
in safety at last. 

The grindstone was too heavy to send back. But 
he gave the Indian guides a great many little pres- 
ents for Powhatan and Pocahontas, which pleased 
them more than the grindstone would have done. 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! didn't he see Pocahontas 
any more ? 

Mother. — Yes, indeed. Pocahontas was always 
a true friend to Smith. Not long after this, she 
found that the Indians were again intending to 
make an attack on Jamestown ; and she hastened 
alone through the woods, on a dark and stormy 
night, to warn Smith of the danger. 

Will. — Then she saved the colony a second time. 



A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 71 

Mother. — I think that is true. And I am quite 
sure she saved it at still another time. 

During the winter, after Smith had been so long 
witli the Indians, the poor settlers suffered much 
from hunger. 

" I will carry them food," said Pocahontas. And 
every four or five days, all winter long, Pocahon- 
tas, with her attendants, walked over the snow and 
ice, carrying baskets of provisions to the starving 
people. 

Will. — 1 hope the settlers began to find that 
Smith was their best friend ! 

Mother. — I am sorry to say that they found fault 
with him because he did no more for them. They 
were very much vexed because he did not encour- 
age them to give up planting and building, and 
search for gold. 

At last they said, " We loill dig for gold. We will 
send a vessel to England full of gold dust ; and then 
our friends will see what we are doing." 

When the ship which they loaded arrived in Eng- 
land, its cargo proved to be nothing but glittering 
dirt. 

Soon after this, Smith had still harder times. 
More people came over from England. But they 
were not real workers. They Avere such people as 
England was glad to get rid of 



72 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — That was enough to discourage any man. 

Mother. — Smith kept on working for the colony; 
trying to rouse the idle, and have each one work for 
the public good. 

After a while the wives and daughters of many 
of the settlers came out to them. 

Lizzie. — Perhaps that made the men go to work ; 
for they would be ashamed not to have decent homes 
for their families. 

Mother. — They did much better after this. The 
houses began to look home-like, and soon they bnilt 
a little church. But in the mean time Smith met 
with an accident. Some gunpowder exploded, and 
injured him so much that he was obliged to go back 
to England, — there being no surgeons in America 
who could dress his wounds properly. 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! was that the only pay he got? 

Mother. — If we look at it in one way, we might 
say it was ; for he did not own a foot of land in 
America, — not even the house which he had built 
with his own hands. But Smith's conscience told 
him he had done the best he could. And the world 
has ever since thanked him for doing what he did 
for America. He was, in fact, the first man who suc- 
ceeded in establishing a colony in this country. 

Columbus discovered America. The Cabots dis- 
covered that portion of America best fitted for colo- 



A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 



73 



nization, and claimed it for England. Sir Walter 
Raleigh gave to the world the desire to colonize 
America. But Captain John Smith, by hard laboi- 
and much self-sacrifice, first established homes h 
America. 

Lizzie. — I guess Pocahontas was sorry to hav^ 

Smith go away ! 

Mother. — She must have been very sorry. 
After Smith left the colony, she had much to dt 
with its history. A party of the settlers Avent back 
into the country to forage — that is, to pick up food, 
or anything else that would be of use to them. 
After stealing everything they could lay hands to, 
they saw Pocahontas coming ; and they said, " Let 
us carry her off ! We will make the old king buy 
her back." So they carried off Pocahontas, and 
sent word to Powhatan that he could not have his 
daughter unless he would pay a large sum for her. 

Will. — To think of treating Pocahontas lik3 that, 
after all she had done for the colony ! 

Mother. — Powhatan was enraged at the insult ; 
and he said, " I will never buy her back ! I will 
fight for her ! " And many of the Indians became 
enemies to the English. 

But just at that time a young Englishman, named 
John Rolfe, took a great iancy to Pocahontas. And 
Pocahontas liked him very much. So they were 



74 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

married. Powhatan was pleased at tbis ; and he 
never allowed any of his tribe to be unkind to the 
English afterwards. 

Lizzie. — Did Pocahontas live in a wigwam after 
she was married, or did she live in a house like 
ours ? 

Mother. — She did not live in a wigwam any 
longer. And when she was twenty-one, she went 
to England with her husband, and saw the king and 
queen. 




Indian Wigwam. 

Everybody showed her a great deal of attention. 
I think Smith had something to do with this. For 
when he heard Pocahontas was coming to England, 
he wrote a letter to the queen, telling her how much 
good Pocahontas had done to the colonists, and 
begging the queen to be very kind to her. He 
also said that it would make the Indians in America 
feel kindly towards the English, if they should hear 



A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 75 

that Powhatan's daughter had been treated like a 
princess. 

But true, brave, noble, devoted Pocahontas re- 
mained as simple as when she roved in the forests 
around her father's hut. 

Will. — I don't believe she forgot Smith, either. 

Mother, — She had heard that he was dead; when 
one day he was suddenly presented to her ! 

Now, you know people at court must be very 
ceremonious — that is, they must bow just so, and 
speak to each other in just such a way, or they are 
called rude. 

When Pocahontas saw Smith, she forgot all about 
court manners ; and, rushing across the room, she 
flung her arms around him, and called him "father!" 

She felt hurt when Smith told her that such free- 
dom might do for the wild forests of America, but 
not for the English court. She turned away from 
him, hid her face in her hands, and did not speak 
for two hours. 

Then she said, " You were not afraid to come to 
my father's country, and cause fear in him and all 
his people but me ! And fear you hei'e that I should 
call you father? I tell you, then, I will! And you 
shall call me child ! And so I will be forever and 
ever your countryman ! " 

Will. — I should almost know Pocahontas would 
talk like that. 



76 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie, — Did she like living in England? 

Mother. — I think she could not have enjoyed 
giving up her native freedom. And then the climate 
did not agree with her. 

Her husband was just going back to America with 
her, when she died, leaving a beautiful little boy. 
This little boy staid in England till he had received 
a good education ; then he went to Virginia, and 
became a rich man. It is said that some of tlie first 
families in Virginia are descended from him. 

Lizzie. — Since you told us about Columbus, I 
have thought he could not have discovered Amer- 
ica if it hadn't been for Isabella. Smith could not 
have colonized America if it hadn't been for Poca- 
hontas. 

Mother. — I think we may safely say that. Poca- 
hontas was just the friend Smith needed. Isabella 
herself could not have been to Smith what Pocahon. 
tas was. 

Will. — And Pocahontas could not have helped 
Columbus as Isabella did ; because she was not rich. 

Mother. — You are quite right. And we may 
learn from this that God gives to earnest souls just 
the help they need to carry out his plans. 

Will. — Did Smith ever go back to America ? 

Mother. — It seems as if the settling of America 
vvas what he loved and cared for more than any- 



A NOBLE INDIAN GIRL. 77 

thing else in the world, for he had no family. And 
as soon as his health was better, he was again busy 
in his chosen work. 

He did not go back to Jamestown, although the 
settlement there did not prosper for a number of 
years after he left it. But he explored the land in 
what we call New England. He made maps of it, 
and also of the country between New England and 
Virginia. He wrote books, describing the climate, 
soil, and appearance of the country. He told of the 
advantages there were in going to a lai'go country 
where each one could have land of his own, and 
grow rich if he was willing to work. And people 
M'^ere more anxious than ever to go to America. 

Smith did not live to be an old man. He died in 
London in the year 1631. 

Will. — That was twenty-six years after he 
w^ent to Jamestown. So he must have been fifty- 
two years old. 

Mother. — I am glad to see you remember our 
talks so well. 

What colony was first settled, Lizzie, and who 
was the father of it ? 

Lizzie. — Virginia was the first, and Smith settled 
it. If the settlement was not a very happy one, it 
was because there were so many men in it who 
didn't like to work. 



78 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — I had almost forgotten to tell you 
another bad result of the idleness of the first set- 
tlers. 

In 1619, a Dutch ship arrived at Jamestown, land- 
ing twenty negroes. " Here ! " said the Dutchmen 
to the Virginia planters ; " you are in want of work- 
ers. Buy these slaves, and you will have no trouble 
in raising corn and tobacco." 

The negroes were bought and set to work, with 
the fear of the whip-lash on their backs if they dared 
to be idle. In this way slavery was brought to 
this country, 

Lizzie. — Couldn't the poor negroes have any 
land of their own ? 

Mother. — No ; they were bought and sold with 
the land. 

Lizzie. — That wasn't right. So I am sure the 
Virginia colony would have to suffer for it some 
time. 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 79 



VIII. 

THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 

Mother. — Before saying much about the settle- 
ment at Plymouth, I must go back and tell you why 
these people wanted to come to America. 

Will. — You said the first settlement in America 
did not succeed because there was no man fit to be 
a leader. Are you not going to tell us about some 
smart man among those who went to Plymouth ? 

Mother. — I am going to tell you something 
about a great man, though he was not one of the 
settlers. 

You know, when we were talking about Colum- 
bus, we said that God let him believe that the world 
was round, and made him feel sure that there was 
another continent, because all Europe needed to 
know it, 

Lizzie. — Yes ; the merchants wanted to find an 
easier road to India. 

Will. — The Portuguese navigator got the start, 
though, and found the way to India by doubling 
the Cape of Good Hope. 



80 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 

Mother. — All Europe would soon after need to 
know that there were homes to be found in Amer- 
ica, and for a reason a thousand times more impor- 
tant than that for finding a passage to India. 

You must know that the governments in Europe 
were very strict. That is, they gave the people 
very little freedom, — especially the poor people. 

Will. — I remember you said a poor man there 
could not own any land. 

Mother. — The discovery of America made a 
great change all over the world. It was wonderful 
news to learn that there was a great country across 
the ocean. It was like opening a window in a dark 
and crowded room, so that sunshine and fresh air 
could come in. Everybody was thinking and talk- 
ing about it ; and thinking and talking make men's 
minds grow. It was just before this time, too, that 
printing was first used. 

Lizzie. — Why, mother ! didn't people have books 
to read before then ? 

Mother. — They had only books that were written 
by hand. These were costly ; and of course but very 
fow could afibrd to own them. The common people 
could not have read them either, if they had owned 
them. But now they were beginning to read and 
to think for themselves. 

I told you just now that the European govern- 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 81 

ments did not give the people much freedom. One 
proof of this is, that men were not allowed to wor- 
ship God each in his own way. Every man had to 
pay something- out of his small earnings to support 
the same kind of church, and say, I believe so and 
so. And if he did not do this, he was punished 
by law. 

Will. — I don't think that was fair ! 

Mother. — When people began to think lor them- 
selves, they saw it was not fair. But it was a very 
dangerous thing for a man to say so. 

About this time there was a very bold, brave man 
in Germany, named Martin Luther, Avho dared to 
say, " Every man must think for himself No man 
can think for him ! " 

Martin Lutiier was like a lion among men. He 
would say what he believed, even if he knew it 
would cost him liis life to say it. 

Lizzie. — Was Martin Luther among the Plymouth 
settlers ? 

Mother. — 0, no, dear child. He died before the 
fii'st settlement at Jamestown. The reason I am 
telling you about him is, that he had something to 
do with the coming of the settlers to Plymouth. 

Martin Luther loved music. He wrote beautiful 
hymns for the people to sing. These grand old 
hymns, that were first sung in Germany, echoed 
6 



82 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

from country to country, till all Europe was quiver- 
ing with their music. People sang about freedom 
before they dared to talk about it. Thus music was 
a mighty weapon against the tyranny of kings. 

Lizzie. — I like to hear you talk about it, mother, 
because your voice is so deep, and you look so 
earnest ; but I cannot quite understand you. 

Will. — I do. Mother means that the people 
were all singing of freedom before the kings knew 
what they were about. 

Mother. — Thank you, Will, You are right. 

Sitting here by the pleasant fire, and hearing 
only our own low voices, it is an easy thing to 
say, '' Every man must worship God in his own 
way." But this thought from Heaven made every 
king in Europe tremble on his throne. It was the 
cause of the most horrible wars. 

Europe was not large enough for this mighty 
thought to grow in. People began to say, '■• We 
cannot think, — we cannot breathe freely here. We 
must have more room." 

Will. — Now I see the whole of it ! Of course 
the kings were not willing that the people should 
think as they pleased ; and so folks said, " If we 
can't think about God as we want to here, we will 
go where we can. We will go to America ! " 

Mother. — That is it. So, you see, the time had 



THE HOME OP FREEDOM. 83 

come when it was really necessary that the people 
of Europe should know of a place like America. 

Will. — Then the discovery of this country did 
more good than just finding a passage to India 
would have done. 

Mother. — Far more. Columbus little knew what 
great good was coming to the world through the 
mighty feeling in his heart Avhich impelled him to 
his discoveries. 

Lizzie. — I can see why people should have liked 
to go to America : it was a new place, and people 
like to see new places. 

But do you think the settlers Avho came to Plym- 
outh would have been treated very badly if they had 
staid in Europe ? 

Mother. — I cannot begin to tell you how cruelly 
people were treated who dared to believe in God in 
their own Avay. They were hunted like wild beasts. 
Many were banished from their country forever. 
Many were burned to death. In France alone, one 
hundred thousand people were put to death for be- 
lieving what the}' thought was right. 

Will. — A hundred thousand ! How could it be? 

Mother. — There was a cruel king in Prance at 
that time. His mother was a very wicked woman. 
And then there was a duke who was also very cruel. 
These three, who had most to do with the govern- 



84 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

ment, thought no more of killing men and women 
than you would of killing flies. And they said, 
" What business has any one to think differently 
•from kings and queens ! We will show people Avhat 
they ought to believe ! " 

So they had a party, and invited thousands of peo- 
ple to come to it. It was a great affair, for it was 
to celebrate the marriage of a prince. And just as 
everybody was having a good tin^e, the Avord was 
given, " Kill ! Kill ! " 

This was the beginning of one of the most terri- 
ble times the world ever knew, A hundred thou- 
sand men, women, and children were put to death. 

And all this was for believing in God as they 
thought right. 

Will. — 0, how angry the people must have been 
all over Europe ! 

Mother. — And instead of believing just what the 
kings said they must, there were larger numbers 
than before who said, " We will think for our- 
selves ! " 

This horrible affair in France occurred over a 
hundred years before people began to come to 
America to live. But after this a great many per- 
sons in England were burned to death for worship- 
ping God in their own way. And the Plymouth set- 
tlers, who could not meet together to talk about 



THE HOME OF P^REEDOM. 85 

God without being disturbed, did not know but 
they would be hunted down or driven from their 
country. 

They said, " We would rather live in huts in 
America, and have quiet talks about God, than 
stay here." 

So you see tlie hundred men, women, and chil- 
dren who left England in the ship Mayflower did 
not come to America to make discoveries, or to hunt 
for gold. They came to worship God in freedom. 

Lizzie. — 0, it must have been hard for the little 
children who Avere with them ! Was it very cold 
weather when they started ? 

Mother. — They left England in September, 1620. 

Will. — That was fourteen years after Captain 
John Smith left for Virginia. 

Mother. — When the Pilgrims first left their 
homes the weather was pleasant and warm. The 
gardens were full of flowers ; the hills were green ; 
the birds were singing. 

After the Mayflower had been tossing on the 
stormy ocean for sixty-three days, the Pilgrims 
were told they had reached their new homes. 
The little company crowded on deck, full of hope ; 
for they had heard pleasant things of America. 

0, how bare and bleak everything looked ! No 
green fields, no blossoming meadows. The hills 



'gtJ THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

were covered with snow. The leafless branches 
of the trees were encased in ice, through which 
the winter winds moaned. The rocky coast, as far 
as the eye could see, was white with frost. Even 
the sunshine remained behind the clouds, as if to 
make the picture colorless and bare. 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! Didn't the}^ all want to go 
Dack to England ? 

Mother. — No. " This shall be the home of Free- 
dom ! " they said. '' Here we can worship God." 
And they joined in singing a hymn — one of the 
hymns that Martin Luther had taught the people. 

Will. — I don't believe these folks had any quar- 
relling on the way over. 

Mother. — They did not. And before they went 
on shore they signed a paper, saying each would 
work for the good of all. They also chose one of 
their number for a governor, — one whom they all 
loved, and were willing to obey. His name was 
John Carver. 

When they lowered their little boat to go on 
shore, they found that it needed repairs. It had 
served as a sleeping berth on the voyage over. 
They had to wait seventeen days before it was fit 
to use. Li the mean time sixteen of the men put 
themselves under the command of Captain Stan- 
dish, and reached the shore by wading through the 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 87 

icy water. This gave them severe colds, from which 
some of them never recovered. 

Will. — I don't see why they needed a captain. 

Mother. — They had heard of the Indians. And 
in case of attack, they knew they must have one 
man to look to for orders. 

Will. — That shows they were more sensible 
than the men at Jamestown, who were always 
quarrelling because every one wanted to be cap- 
tain. 

Mother. — When the little boat was ready, a 
number of the men again started to hunt up and 
down the coast for a good harbor. It was snowing 
fast. The spray from the waves froze upon them, 
so that they had on coats of ice. 

After exploring the coast in different directions, 
they landed and made a fire, staying on shore 
through the night. The next morning, just at day- 
break, they heard the horrid yell of the Indians. 
And soon the air about them was full of arrows. 
But no one was hurt. Thankful for this, they 
started off again, in their little shallop, to search 
for a good harbor for the Mayflower. 

As the day wore on the storm increased. The 
snow and sleet so blinded them that it was difficult 
to get a glimpse of the land. Their little boat rose 
and fell like a feather on the foaming waves. Soon 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 




Pilgrims seeking a Harbor in tbe 
Storm. 



their rudder broke. 
Then their mast was 
split in pieces, and 
the sail went over- 
board. Night came 
on. " We are lost ! " 
cried tliey ; and each 
thought of the dear 

ones in the Mayflower, who were anxiously waiting 

for them. 

But just then they found themselves in a little 

bay, where they were sheltered from the fury of the 

storm. The war-whoops of the Indians were still 

heard in the distance. 

" Let us thank God for his care ! " said the Pil- 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM, 89 

grims. " Ho has saved us from the dangers of the 
storm ; He will guard us from the savages." And 
so He did. 

Numb with cold, and almost perishing with hun- 
ger, they landed and built a fire. 

By the light of the next morning they saw that 
they were on an island at the entrance of a good 
harbor, where the MayfloAver could be safely moored. 

Lizzie. — How singular ! When the Jamestown 
settlers were trying to land, a storm drove them 
into a good deal better place than they expected 
to find. 

Will. — It drove them into Chesapeake Bay, 
near James River. 

Mother. — And the storm which the Pilgrims 
met drove them into what we now call Plymouth 
Harbor. 

Overcome by cold and fatigue, they were glad to 
rest during the next day, which Avas Sunday. On 
Monday morning they again started to explore the 
harbor, and find the best landing-place. 

They soon came to a large rock by the shore, 
Avhich seemed to invite them to stop. Here they 
moored their little boat. 

And on the 22d of December, 1620, these stout- 
hearted, earnest men stood upon the shores of Plym- 
outh, and thanked God for Freedom. 



90 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie. — And they were glad they had found a 
good place to make homes for the mothers and the 
little cliildren — were they not, mother ? 

Mother. — Indeed they were. They explored 
the country a little, and found that the forests were 
partly cleared away. They found beautiful springs 
of water. They also found a heap of corn. 

" We will go back now to the Mayflower," they 
said, " and tell our friends we have found a good 
place for a settlement." 

What do you think had happened while they were 
gone ? A dear little baby boy had been born. He 
was named Peregrine White. This was the first 
English child born in New England ; and he lived 
to be over eighty years old. 

Will. — It must have been a good deal easier to 
make a settlement here, than if no forests had been 
cleared away. 

Mother. — That is true ; although they had many 
hard times during the winter that followed, and were 
in constant fear that the Indians would drive them 
away. 

Lizzie. — I don't see how they kept the little chil- 
dren warm till they got houses built. 

Mother. — Fortunately the Mayflower did not go 
back to England till April. So the women and chil- 
dren had comfortable quarters on board till the huts 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 91 

were ready for them. But the climate was very 
hard upon all the little company. They had never 
felt such severe cold in England. And when spring 
came, half their number had died. Among these 
was their good governor, John Carver. 

Lizzie. — 0, what a hard time they must have 
had ! I pity them more than I did the other set- 
tlers, because there were so many mothei's and little 
children. They were such good people, too ! I 
wish they had gone farther south ; then they would 
not have suffered so with the cold. 

Mother. — They intended to go a little farther 
south. They meant to land at the mouth of Hudson 
River. 

Will. — I suppose they had learned about the 
place from Smith's maps. 

Mother. — They had learned, too, that some Dutch 
settlers had already landed there, and liked the place 
much. But they were never sorry that they chose 
Plymouth for their landing-place. 

Will. — I want to know if they went and got ac- 
quainted with the Indians, as Smith did. 

Mother. — After they had been at Plymouth about 
six months, an Indian one day walked boldly into 
town, saying, " Welcome, English ! Welcome, Eng- 
lish ! " 

Lizzie. — That is strange ! I thought tlie Indians 
could not speak our language. 



92 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — This one had learned a little Englisli 
from some fisherman on the coast of Maine. The 
settlers received him very kindly. They learned 
from him that many Indians had formerly lived at 
Plymouth, but a terrible pestilence had swept them 
from the land. They also learned that Massasoit, 
the king of all the tribes in the neighborhood, was 
near by, and that he wanted to open friendly rela- 
tions with the settlers. 

In a few days they were again surprised by a 
^i,3it from Massasoit himself, accompanied by sixty 
of his followers. 

Will. — Sixty Indians ! Why, there were not so 
many settlers as that ! 

Mother. — It was an anxious time for the little 
band of Pilgrims. Massasoit did not come at once 
into town, but was stationed on a hill Avithin sight. 
The governor sent word that he sliould be glad 
to talk with the Indian king. He also sent him 
some presents, — two knives, a copper chain with 
a jewel in it, some " strong water " or whiskey, a 
quantity of biscuit, and some butter. This kind- 
ness assured Massasoit that the settlers would do 
him no liarm. So, accompanied by a few followers 
who had laid aside their bows and arrows, ho ap- 
proached the little town. The settlers received 
him with as much pomp and ceremon}' as it was 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 93 

in their power to do. Captain Standish, with six 
musketeers, went out to meet him. 

Massasoit allowed himself to be conducted to an 
unfinished house, in which were placed a green rug 
and three or four cushions. Soon the governor 
advanced, attended by a few soldiers, two of whom 
made a great flourish with a drum and trumpet. 
Refreshments were then served ; after which a 
treaty was agreed upon, in which Massasoit prom- 
ised to be a good friend to the English, and to help 
them in case tliey were attacked. In return the 
governor promised friendliness on the part of the 
English. 

This treaty was of great use to the English in 
many ways. It was kept sacred for over fifty 
years. 

Lizzie. — Then I am sure there were some good- 
hearted Indians. 

Mother. — The colony gradually increased in num- 
bers. In a year from the time they landed another 
party of emigrants came over from England. But 
this was a great drawback to the success Of the 
colony during the next winter. 

Lizzie. — Why, I should think they would have 
been glad to see more English people ! 

Mother. — So they were, at first. But these last 
settlers had no provisions ; and the first comers had 



94 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to share all their food with them. Such was their 
trust in God they did not complain, but gave cheer- 
fully to the strangers. 

Will. — Couldn't they get corn from those In- 
dians who were so kind to them ? 

Mother. — No ; these Indians were very poor, 
and, like themselves, did not know one day where 
they would get anything to eat the next. 

Lizzie. — Why ! Were the Pilgrims so poor as 
that ? 

Mother. — At one time they had so little corn 
that each family could have but a single pint. 
When this was parched and given around, they 
could allow but five kernels at a time to each 
person. After this they had no corn at all. And 
for months you would have seen nothing on the 
best table among them but a lobster, or a bit of 
fish, and a pitcher of water. 

It was four years before they had any cattle ; so, 
during all that time, they had but little meat. They 
did not go without bread, however, after the second 
winter. 

Lizzie. ■ — If they had no cows or goats, then the 
little boys and girls could have no milk ! 

Mother. — I had not thought of that. 

Will. — And, of course, they could get no butter 
nor cheese. 



THE HOME OF FREEDOM. 95 

Lizzie. — I guess they were glad when summer 
came, for then they could get berries. 

Will. — They could shoot birds, too, and catch 
fish in the streams. 

Did they have good luck in planting ? If they 
had no cattle, it must have been hard work to get 
the ground ready. 

Mother. — They did not have all the corn they 
needed during the first two years. Instead of each 
man's planting for himself, all worked in common. 
That is, they worked together, and then divided the 
corn equally. 

Will. — I don't think I should have liked that. 
If I were willing to work more hours than another 
man, I should feel as if I ought to have more corn. 

Mother. — So some of the Pilgrims thought after 
working in this way for two years. 

As soon as each man had his own little plof. of 
ground to plant, everybody became interested to 
see how much corn he could raise. The conse- 
quence was, that they not only raised enough for 
themselves, but they had some to sell to the Indians, 
and to the fishermen who came near the coast. 

Will. — I don't see why the Indians wanted to 
buy. I should think they could have raised corn of 
their own. 

Mother. — So they could. But the Indian loves 



96 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to rove and hunt better than to cultivate the 
ground. And if he can buy corn with the furs 
he gets in the chase he is glad. 

Will. — The settlers must have felt encouraged, 
if they could raise corn enough to buy furs with. 
If they got more furs than they needed, they could 
send them over to Europe and get money for them. 

Lizzie. — But how could they send them, when 
there were no ships going back ? 

Mother. — Soon after this there were more ships 
going and coming across the Atlantic. Though the 
settlers suffered so much, they kept up good cour- 
age, and Avrote back such pleasant accounts to their 
English friends, that more people came over. " We 
are happy," they wrote. " We have given up many 
home comforts that we had in England ; but wo can 
worship God in our own way. What more can we 
ask ? " 



ALONE IN THE WOODS. 97 



IX. 

ALONE IN THE WOODS. 

Mother. — In 1629, — nine years after the May- 
flower came over, — one hundred people arrived, 
and made another settlement at Salem. And one 
year later, fifteen hundred settlers came. Many of 
them were highly educated. Before they started 
they chose John Winthrop for their governor. He 
was a very kind, unselfish man. He loved Old Eng- 
land ; yet he felt indignant that kings should meddle 
with what he thought about God. 

Among the people who came over with him were 
some who had lived in such rich homes, that they 
would have been discouraged at the prospect of 
living in the miserable little houses of the new 
country, if it had not been for his cheering 
words. 

Lizzie. — Did all these people go and live with 
the Plymouth settlers ? 

Mother. — No; they landed first at Salem. After- 
wards some of them settled at Boston, some at 
Charlestown, and some at other places along Massa- 
7 



98 THE STORY OF OUK COUNTEY. 

chusetts Bay ; so that they were called the Massa- 
chusetts Bay Colony. 

Lizzie. — The Plymouth settlers must have been 
glad to know there were so many more people from 
England in the country. They could go and see 
them sometimes. 

Will. — And trade with them, as they did with 
the Indians. 

Mother. — It was really so. Then, too, each 
colony chose a few men and sent them to Boston, 
to talk over what was for the best good of all. 

This was the beginning of civil government in 
America. The whole were governed by a few men, 
and these men were chosen by the people themselves. 

Will. — The Pilgrims must have liked that better 
than to be governed by a king they hadn't chosen, 
and perhaps didn't like. Besides, a king stays a 
king as long as he lives ; and if he is a bad man, 
the people can't help themselves. But if a gov- 
ernor doesn't do the right thing, why, the people 
can choose a better man. 

Lizzie. — A governor would let people think as 
they liked. 

Will. — Of course. The people wouldn't choose 
a man who would not do that. 

Mother. — Well, now I am going to tell you 
something that will surprise you very much. 



ALONE IN THE WOODS. 99 

Lizzie. — What is it ? 

Mother. — The first dispute the Pilgrims had 
was about letting every man think as he liked 
about serving God. 

Will. — Why, they came over to this country, 
because they wanted every man to do that ! 

Mother. — Certainly they did. I will tell you 
how the trouble began, 

A little while after the company had settled in 
Salem, a very good young man came over from 
England and landed at that place. His name was 
Roger Williams. He was only thirty years old ; but 
he was a fine scholar and a true gentleman. By 
that I mean he was always making others happy, 
wherever he went. This Roger Williams was a 
minister ; and he left England because he was not 
allowed to preach what he thought was right. 

Lizzie. — Then I should think the Pilgrims would 
have liked him. 

Mother. — So they did, until they found that he 
did not believe just as they did. You see, by this 
time, a great many people were coming over from 
England. Some liked to go to church, and were 
willing to pay to help support it ; while others did 
not care to go, and were not willing to pay any 
money for it. 

Will. — I suppose they wanted their money for 
other things. 

LofC. 



100 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — No doubt. They were already start- 
ing schools, and perhaps some felt more interested 
in them. But, at any rate, the laws of Massachu- 
setts said, " Every man must go to church. Every 
man must give something to support the church." 

Will. — Then if the laws said so, the men that 
made the laws must have all believed alike about it. 

Mother. — The few men who came over from 
Europe at first did all think alike. But you can 
see that when people came over by thousands, there 
must have been many who did not think as the Pil- 
grims did. 

When Roger Williams saw that they punished 
people for not going to church, he said, " Your laws 
are wrong ! It is right to punish a man for stealing, 
but not for staying awa}^ from church.'"' 

The Pilgrims did not see it so ; and they said, 
" You must not teach our children such wicked 
notions as these. Men who will not go to church 
are not fit to take part in the government. We 
want no such men here. But Roger Williams was 
firm. He said, " I left my native land because I 
could not speak the truth as I saw it. You may 
banish me from the country ; you may take my life ; 
but you shall not take away my freedom ! " Yet 
all this time he was so kind-hearted, that those who 
lived near him loved him. They even chose him for 



ALONE IN THE WOODS. • 101 

minister at Salem. But when the people at Boston 
heard of it, they were very indignant ; and they 
sent word to Salem that Boger Williams was a very 
unsafe man for a preacher. " He is trying to over- 
throw our government/' they said. 

To this Roger Williams replied, '' I am not try- 
ing to overthrow your government ; I am trying 
to prevent you from doing that yourselves. Your 
laws are not wise, if they do not provide for the 
good of all. I believe that God has chosen this 
great country to be an asylum for the poor and 
oppressed of all lands. And how can that place 
be home to a man where he cannot enjoy his 
religion ? " 

Will. — Did the Pilgrims agree with him then? 

Mother. — No ; and the people of Boston, where 
the courts were held, were so indignant at the 
Salem people for making Boger Williams their 
minister, that they took away a large tract of land 
belonging to them. They also declared that the 
Salem settlement should no longer be under their 
protection. 

This made the Salem people sorry for what they 
had done. So they wrote a letter to the governor 
at Boston, and said so. 

Will. — ■ Then the Salem people were cowards. 

Mother. — At last Roger Williams had no friend 



102 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

left who believed in him. Even his wife, Mary, 
thought he was wrong. 

"If I cannot stay here and believe and say what 
I think is right, I will go to another part of the 
country," said Roger Williams, 

But the people at Boston heard of this, and 
determined to send him out of the country alto- 
gether. 

Will. ■ — He must have been a smart man, if they 
were as afraid of him as that ! 

Mother, — He was ; and too wise a man to be 
caught. For when the officers went into his house 
to arrest him and put him on board a ship that was 
just ready to sail for England, he was gone, no one 
knew where, 

Lizzie, — Did his wife go with him ? 

Mother. — No ; and it was fortunate she did not ; 
for durino- the next three and a half months he was 
wandering through the snowy forests, often without 
food, and with no shelter but a hollow tree. 

Lizzie. — 0, that was too bad ! 

Will. — I didn't think the Pilgrims could treat a 
man so — an honest man, too ! Wh}^, I think he 
was the truest, best man of them all. Of course 
he was not going to help them make a government 
like the one they had left in England. 

MOTIJISR. — No, indeed ! And his heart was so 



ALONE IN THE WOODS. 



103 







^^^ 



large that he 
thought not only 
of the good of 

BogerWiUiams searching for a Sleep, ^j^^^^ already in 
ing-place in the "Wilderness. _ "^ 

America, but he 
thought of the millions that might come from all 
lands in the future. But if Roger Williams was 
homeless, he was not without friends. 

Will. — Then I know who would be kind to 
him, — the Indians ! 

Mother. — You are right. He found a welcome 
in every Indian hut Avhich he entered. He was no 
stranger to the red men. He had often visited 



104 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

their IoavI}^ homes, and had learned something of 
their language. After a Avhile he came to Massa- 
soit's humble dwelling ; and the kind-hearted king, 
who had before promised friendliness to the Eng- 
lish, now gladly opened his door to the homeless 
man, and showed him a generous hospitality. 

At another time Roger Williams visited some 
Indians farther south, called the Narragansetts ; and 
their chief, Canonicus, usually thought to be a very 
cruel Indian, loved him as his own son. 

Will. — Did Roger Williams stay long among 
the Indians ? 

Mother. — Not long. He was anxious to start a 
little colony somewhere out of Massachusetts, and 
have a government which would not meddle with 
the churches at all. Just then lie received a letter 
from Governor Winthrop, which surprised him very 
much. 

Lizzie. — Who was Governor Winthrop ? 

Will. — Why, I remember ; he was governor of 
Massachusetts. 

Mother. — You are right. His letter gave Roger 
Williams the unexpected hint to go to Narragansett 
Bay and settle, as no Englishman had as yet any 
claim to the land. 

Roger Williams took tliis advice. By that time 
five old friends had joined him, saying they wanted 



ALONE IN THE WOODS. 105 

to help him make a neAv settlement. So, in June of 
1636, — sixteen years after the Pilgrims first landed 
at Plymouth, — Roger Williams and his five friends 
got into a canoe, and paddled down a little stream 
that flows into Narragansett Bay. They stopped at 
the head of the bay, at a place that seemed to be a 
pleasant spot for a settlement. 

" The providence of God has cared for me, and 
led me hither ; therefore I Avill name the place 
Providence," said he. And it has been called 
Providence ever since. 

Lizzie. — Why, that is the capital of Rhode 
Island ! 

MoTHEE. — And now you know who founded 
Rhode Island. This land belonged then to the 
Narragansett Indians. But when their chief, Ca- 
nonicus, found that his white friend, whom he loved 
so dearly, was going to settle there, he made hiin a 
present of a large tract. 

Lizzie. — What could he do with so much land ? 

Mother. — ■ Roger Williams had been there but a 
little while, when many others joined him from the 
different settlements. And some came from Eng- 
land to Rhode Island, having heard that the most 
freedom could be found there. 

Roger Williams gave his land away freely to 
those who were not able to buy it for themselves. 



106 THE STOKY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

So that he had only as much left for himself as the 
humblest stranger among them. 

Lizzie. — Did he always live in Rhode Island after 
that ? 

Mother. — Always. But he visited England in a 
few years, to get a charter for the colony. 

Lizzie. — What do you mean by a charter ? 

Mother. — It was a paper from the King of Eng- 
land, saying that his people in America might 
govern themselves and choose their own ofiicers. 
The Massachusetts colony had such a charter ; and 
Roger Williams was glad to receive one for Rhode 
Island, too. 

Nothing better shows us what a good man he 
was, than the fact that he always loved and spoke 
well of the Massachusetts Bay colony, even after 
they had driven him from his home into the wilder- 
ness. 

He lived to be seventy-seven years old ; and died 
as he had lived, beloved of many. 



MORE COLONIES. 107 



MORE COLONIES. 

Mother. — Tell me the names of the colonies you 
have already heard about. 

Lizzie. — Virginia, Massachusetts, and Rhode 
Island. 

Will. — Didn't you tell us tliat some Dutch peo- 
ple went to New York ? 

Mother. — Yes. When it was found that the 
English had not discovered the north-west passage 
to India, the government of the Netherlands — 
or Holland pnd Belgium ^ — ^said, '' Perhaps we can 
find it. We ought to, if any one can; for we own 
more ships than all the rest of Europe." 

So they fitted out a large ship, and gave the com- 
mand of it to Henr}^ Hudson. 

Lizzie. — Now I know where the Hudson River 
got its name. 

Mother. — I see you are guessing out my story. 
Six years before the Puritans landed in Massa- 
chusetts, Hudson sailed up the beautiful river 
which is called after him ; and he was disappointed 
when his vessel could go no farther. 



108 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — He knew then that lie hadn't found the 
way to India. 

Mother. — Yes; and this was such a disappoint- 
ment to Holland, that he was not sent again. But 
a great many Dutch people came to America after 
this, and settled in what we now call New York and 
New Jersey. 

Lizzie. — That makes two more settlements. So 
we now know of five colonies. 

Mother. — The Dutch did not come over for the 
same reason that the Puritans did. They were 
mostly traders. They bought furs of the natives, 
and sent them back to Europe. They put up the 
Dutch flag at first, thus showing that they claimed 
the country for Holland. But afterwards some of 
their governors did not treat them well ; so they 
were glad to pull down the Dutch flag, and live 
under the English flag. 

Have you noticed that all the people who came 
over to America settled along the coast? 

Will. — Of course. They could not get far into 
the country on account of the forests. 

Mother. — You are right. If you will look at 
your maps, and follow along the coast, it will be 
easy for you to tell me the names of the Thirteen 
Colonies that were first settled. Begin at New 
Hampshire. 



MORE COLONIES. 



109 



Will. — New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Penn- 
sylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Caro- 
lina, South Carolina, Georgia, — 

Mother. — There, you have named thirteen. 

Lizzie. — Did all the other settlers suffer as much 
as those you have told us about ? 







Mother. — No ; but 

nearly all suffered from 

h the cruelty ofthe Indians. 

o'y 'r _^. ^I^y^'i^ rpj^g jg^^g^ ^j^g settlement, 

Settlers Emigrating to Connec- the lesS trouble did they 

*i°^*- have. 

The Connecticut settlers had a hard time. About 



110 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

fifteen years after the Puritans landed, a large col- 
ony of men, women and children emigrated from 
Massachusetts to Connecticut. They started in the 
fall of the year, driving their cattle before them. 
Their only guide was a compass. Their bed at 
night was the rocky hill-side. If it had not been 
for the milk of the cattle, many little children would 
have died ; for their march through the wilderness 
was so much more difficult than they had expected, 
that they did not reach Connecticut till after winter 
had set in, and their provisions had given out. 

Lizzie. — What made them go to Connecticut ? 

Mother, — They had heard it was a beautiful 
place, and that the land was made rich by a large 
river and its branches. 

"W^ILL. — That was the Connecticut River. 

Mother. — In the following year a largo company 
from England joined them. After this they had 
less suffering. 

There was one other New England colony of which 
I must tell you. New Hampshire was settled in 
1623 by a few English merchants, who built little 
houses along the principal rivers. The settlement 
did not increase so rapidly as the others. 

If you will look again at your maps, beginning at 
New Hampshire, you will find I have told you some- 
thing about every colony till we reach Delaware. 



MORE COLONIES. Ill 

Delaware was settled by a company from Sweden. 
They had very little trouble with the Indians, for 
they were protected by the surrounding colonies. 
As the settlement increased in size, the Dutch in 
New York became jealous, for they felt they had 
the first claim to the land. So they drove the 
Swedes away. 

Will. — But you said that the Dutch lived under 
the English flag after they had been in this country 
a few years. 

Mother. — This was after Delaware was taken 
from the Swedes. So you see the little colony was 
claimed at different times by three nations, — first 
by Sweden, then by Holland, and finally by Eng- 
land. 

As there is nothing else very striking in its story, 
we will pass on to Maryland, — the colony that was 
settled with the fewest iiardships. It is a beautiful 
spot ; and the Virginians were very anxious to in- 
clude it within their colony. But twenty-seven 
years after Jamestown was settled, a company of 
Catholics sailed up the Potomac. They had been 
sent out by Lord Baltimore, to whom the English 
king had given a grant of land. 

Lizzie. — Why did they have an easy time ? 

Mother, — They arrived in the spring of the year. 
Lord Baltimore, who was very wealthy, had pro- 



112 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

vided generously foi* their comfort. Their leader, 
Calvert, was a good and wise man, who made only 
such laws as were for the good of all. 

Will. — Then he didn't punish people for not 
thinking all alike — did he ? 

Mother. — No. And this was the principal reason 
why the Maryland settlers were happy : each man 
was left in freedom to think for himself. 

Lizzie. — Of course they would agree, if they 
were all Catholics. 

Mother. — But other people, Avho did not agree 
with them in religion, went afterwards to Maryland, 
and were left in perfect freedom. 

Will. — You said just now that these Catholics 
came over twenty-seven years after John Smith did. 
Then they must have landed in 1633 ; and that was 
three years before Roger Williams went to Rhode 
Island. 

Mother. — Can you think of a city that was named 
after the man who sent out the Maryland settlers ? 

Lizzie. — I can, — Baltimore. 

Mother. — North and South Carolina were set- 
tled by people from England, Holland, and France. 
Many from the northern colonies joined them. 

Will. — You haven't told us anything before 
about folks coming over from France ; but I should 
think they would have been glad to come, for you 



MORE COLONIES. 113 

said tliat a Imiidred thousand people were killed 
there at one time. 

Mother. — You are right. There were many in 
France who thought as the Puritans did. They were 
called Huguenots. About fifty years after the Puri- 
tans landed, a great many Huguenots went to what 
we now call North and South Carolina. The first 
settlers were very glad to have these Frenchmen 
come, for there were many fine workmen among 
them, — mechanics, and artists. The other countries 
in Europe would gladly have welcomed them ; for 
their industry and taste for the fine arts enriched 
every place they settled in. 

Will. — Did the French king give them a 
charter ? 

Mother. — No ; they had been so persecuted at 
home, that the}^ lost all love for the French govern- 
ment ; and they were glad to live under the English 
flag. There was no American flag then, you know. 

I am sorry to say that the Huguenots suffered 
much during their first year or two in America. 
But it was well that they went to the Carolinas, for 
the climate there is much more like sunny France 
than in the other colonies. 



114 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XI. 

A FRIEND TO THE INDIANS. 

Will. — Can't you tell us about some other brave 
man that had strange adventures ? 

Mother. — You know there are two colonies of 
which I have given you no account yet. I hope 
the story of the one I am to tell you about now 
will interest you. It was started by a man who 
believed he could get along peaceably with the 
Indians ; and he always did. His name was Penn ; 
and the colony was named after him. 

Will. — Penn ! Then you are going to tell us 
about Pennsylvania ! 

Mother. — Which means '' Penn's Woods." Wil- 
liam Penn was born in London. He was a Quaker, 
— that is, he was one of those who believe it is 
wrong to go to war, or even to defend one's self in 
danger, save by kindness and love. He also be- 
lieved that all men are equal in the sight of God, — 
that rich and poor, high and low, educated and 
ignorant, share alike the Heavenly Father's love. 
" Why, then," said he, '' should one do homage to a 
king, more than to any other man?" " No," said 



A FRIEND TO THE INDIANS. 115 

he and the other Quakers, " we will not take off our 
hats even in the presence of nobles or kings." 

This got the Quakers into trouble, — particularly 
William Penn, whose father was an admiral in the 
English navy, and who often attended the king's 
court. Of course the son was known at court 
also. 

Lizzie. — Was William Penn's father a Quaker ? 

Mother. — He was not ; and he was so vexed to 
find his son would carry his Quaker manners into 
court, that he drove him from home. He might 
never again have noticed William, if the kind moth- 
er had not pleaded for him. But she urged the 
father so much to take pity on the wanderer, who 
had no money and no place to lay his head, that 
finally the father forgave him. 

Will. — I should think the court people, too, 
would have been vexed at Penn, if they knew why 
he kept on his hat. 

Mother. — They were very angry with him. 
After a while he was looked upon as such an en- 
emy to the government, that he was arrested and 
put into prison. But this did not alter his love 
for the Quaker faith. He afterwards travelled in 
Holland and Germany, preaching with such ear- 
nestness that many people who heard him became 
Quakers. 



116 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — Then they must have had to suffer, as 
the Puritans did. 

Mother. — Yes. 

Lizzie. — I think I know what would happen 
next: the Quakers who had to suffer would want to 
go to America. 

Mother. — That was so. William Penn did every- 
thing in his power to help the Quakers. He wrote 
books to show that the governments had no right to 
trouble them if they did no real wrong. He also 
freely said this whenever he met any of the king's 
friends. 

Will. — I shouldn't think he would have met the 
court people after he had been arrested. 

Mother. — His pleasant manners and kind, gen- 
erous heart always made him a favorite at court in 
spite of his views. At one time, even the king took 
great notice of him. 

Lizzie. — Perhaps William Penn thought it was a 
good plan to make friends at court, so that he could 
Jielp the Quakers. 

Mother. — I think that was his chief reason in 
so doing, for his own tastes were very plain and 
simple. But when he found there could be no 
peace lor the Quakers in Europe, he was very anx- 
ious to be the means of providing comfortable homes 
for them in America. 



A FEIEND TO THE INDIANS. 117 

When Perm's father died, the king was owing 
him a large sum of money for important military 
services. 

Will. — Then the king ought to have given the 
money to William Penn. 

Mother. — Yes, he ought. But Charles II. was a 
very extravagant king, and never had any money to 
spare. So when Penn offered to take, instead of 
the money, a tract of land in America, Charles II. 
gladly consented. And in August, 1682, William 
Penn and a number of Quaker friends sailed for the 
Delaware, reaching that river after a voyage of six 
weeks. 

Will. — In 1682; that was seventy-six years 
after the Jamestown settlement. 

Lizzie. — And sixty-two years after the Puritans 
came to Plymouth. So he must have had a good 
deal easier time than they did. 

Mother. — Yes. There were already a number 
of Quakers near the Delaware ; and when Penn 
landed, they flocked about him and gave him a 
hearty welcome. 

A few days after this, Penn took a boat, and with 
a few friends sailed up the river till they came to 
a peninsula formed by the meeting of two rivers — 
the Delaware and Schuylkill. Mooring their boat, 
they scrambled up the river-bank. It was a sunny 



118 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

day in October, As they stood under the elm trees 
on the high spot of ground which separated the two 
streams, and looked over the country, beautiful with 
autumn foliage, William Penn said, " I have seen 
the finest cities of Europe, but I never saw so beau- 
tiful a site for a city as this ! " 

Will. — Then didn't ho clioose that place to set- 
tle in? 

Mother. — The land was already claimed by some 
people who had come from Sweden. But Penn was 
so charmed with the situation that ho bought the 
land from the Swedes, and it soon became the prin- 
cipal place of the settlement. 

William Penn took great interest in laying out 
and beautifying it. He said he hoped the place 
would always be noted for the kind feeling of its 
people. So he called it Philadelphia, which means 
" brotherly love." 

Will. — You said that Penn had no trouble with 
the Indians. Were there many about there ? 

Mother. ■ — There were nineteen tribes in and 
around Pennsylvania. Of course William Penn had 
never known any Indians till he came to America. 
But he reasoned thus about them : " Is not God the 
Father of the red man as He is of us? And should 
we not love all his children?" 

So William Penn went among the natives with 



A FRIEND TO THE INDIANS. 119 

the feeling that he was no better than they ; and 
he always treated them with loving courtesy. 

A few weeks after he landed, he sent v/ord to the 
various tribes around, that he would meet them on 
a certain day to make a treaty. At the time set, 
crowds of the tawny-skinned natives assembled 
mider tlie elm trees a little way north of Phila- 
delphia. 

William Penn was then thirty-eight years old, 
graceful and fine-looking; and as he stood before 
them in simple dress, surrounded only by a few 
Quaker friends, every Indian heart was moved to 
love him as he uttered these words : — 

" I will not call you children, for parents some- 
times chide their children too severely ; nor broth- 
ers only, for brothers differ. The friendship be- 
tween you and me I will not compare to a chain, 
for that the rains might rust or the falling tree 
might break. We are the same as if one man's 
body were to be divided into two parts ; we are all 
one flesh and blood." 

Lizzie. — -The Indians must have liked that. What 
did they say? 

Mother. — They said : "We will live in love and 
peace with William Penn and his children, as long 
as the sun and moon shall endure." This treaty 
never was broken. 



120 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Lizzie. — And that was because he really loved 
the Indians. 

Mother. — During the year following the treaty, 
William Penn often met the Indians at their councils 
or at their festivals. He yisited them in their 
cabins and shared their roasted corn and hominy. 
He laughed and frolicked with the little pappooses, 
orjoined in the out- 



door games of the 
warriors. Some- 




Penn accepting the Hospitality of the Indians 

times he talked with them about religion. He 
found that they had faith in God, whom they called 
the Great Spirit. They believed the Great Spirit 
made all things, and that he loved his children. No 



A FRIEND TO THE INDIANS. 121 

Indian was afraid to die, because they full)' believed 
that better hunting-grounds were awaiting them, 
if they had been good Indians, — had been brave, 
hospitable to strangers, and had never broken a 
promise. 

Lizzie. — With so many good friends around them, 
I don't see why the Pennsylvania settlers could not 
have had an easy time. 

Mother. — As long as William Penn staid among 
tliem, everything went along pleasantly. People 
from other countries in Europe who were looking 
to America heard that great freedom of thought 
was allowed to ever)' man in Pennsylvania; and 
also that there was no trouble with tlie Indians. 
For these reasons the settlement grew more rapidly 
than any of the others. 

In 1683, Philadelphia consisted of three or four 
little cottages. In two years after, there were six 
Iiundred, also schools and a printing-press; so that in 
tliree years Philadelphia had grown more than New 
York city had done in half a century. 

Will. — Then William Penn did not always re- 
main in America. 

Mother. — No ; he went back to England to help 
the Quakers, many of whom were imprisoned. He 
afterwards returned to this country, remaining only 
two years however, when important business called 
him again to England. 



122 THE STORY OF OUE COUNTRY. 

After this came the most severe trials of his life. 
His son, whom he had sent to Pennsylvania in his 
stead, not only neglected his affairs, but disgraced 
him by habits of dissipation. Another trouble also 
came : a man with whom he had intrusted his money 
matters in America, proved dishonest, and got Penn 
in debt to a large amount, so that he had to go to 
prison. 

Lizzie. — 0, dear ! it seems as if the good men 
always had to suffer. 

Mother. — This was hard on Penn, for he was 
then sixty-four years old. After remaining in prison 
for many years, he was set free by the help of 
friends. He did not live long after this, and died 
at the age of seventy-eight. 

Although terrible times frequently arose between 
the different colonies and the natives, it is said that 
no Quaker blood was ever shed by an Indian, — so 
much did the red man love and honor the name of 
William Penn. 

I am sorry to say that in after years the descend- 
ants of this good man did not show the same loving, 
unselfish spirit which he had done in managing the 
colony. 

You have now heard something about twelve dif- 
ferent colonies. 

Will. — Georgia is the only one you have not 
told us about. 



A FRIEND TO THE INDIANS. 123 

Mother. — There is nothing very interesting to 
tell about it. It was the last colony established, 
having been settled one hundred and twenty-seven 
years after the first settlement of Jamestown. 

Will. — That must have been in 1733. 

Mother. — You are right. Now please look on 
the map and tell me again the names of the thirteen 
colonies. 



124 THE STORY OF OUK COUNTRr. 



XII. 
THE PEOUOD WAR. 

Will. — You said, in our last talk, that some of 
the colonists had trouble witli the Indians. Please 
tell us about it. 

Mother. — In order to do so, we shall have to go 
back to the time when Connecticut was first settled. 

Will. — That was when the company of emi- 
grants left Massachusetts for Connecticut, about 
fifteen years after Plymouth was settled. 

Lizzie. — Which made it about 1635. 

Mother. — That is right. As soon as they had 
finished their weary march through the wilderness, 
before they had completed their miserable little 
huts, they had constant attacks from the Indians. 

Lizzie. — It wasn't the tribe that was so kind to 
Roger Williams — was it ? 

Will. — You mean the Narragansetts. 

Mother. — It was a much larger tribe than the 
Narragansetts, and far more fierce and cruel. They 
were called the Pequods, and numbered seven hun- 
dred warriors ; while the colony could only muster 
two hundred soldiers. 



THE PEQUOD WAR. 125 

Lizzie. — What made the Indians so cruel to the 
whites ? 

Mother. — They felt that Connecticut belonged 
to them alone, and that the English had no right 
there. 

The Pequods had been deadly enemies of the 
Narragansetts for a long time. But when they 
foresaw that the English were likely to get all the 
land into their hands, they went to Canonicus, the 
chief of the Narragansetts, to see if he would join 
them against the English, and kill or drive every 
white man from the country. 

This was a perilous time to the Connecticut set- 
tlers. '* If the two tribes unite against us," said 
they, " we must give up at once. If Ave could only 
get Canonicus to join with us, we should be safe." 

Will. — The settlers must have known how much 
Canonicus thought of Roger Williams. Why didn't 
they get him to go and say a good word for them ? 

Mother. — That is exactly what they did do. 
And Roger Williams showed the generosity of his 
heart when, starting off alone in a poor canoe, he 
hastened through a driving storm to the home of 
Canonicus, to plead for those who had once driven 
him into the wilderness. 

The bloodthirsty chiefs of the Pequods were al- 
ready there. For three days and three nights, Roger 



126 



THE STOKY OP OUR COUNTRY, 



Williams ate and slept with them, knowing that at 
any moment his throat might be cut. Finally, through 
his gentle influence, the Narragansetts decided to 
remain friendly to the English. 




Indians attacking the Settlers. 



But the Connecticut 
settlers were never for a 
moment safe. Wherever 
they might be, in the 
field, around the fire- 
place, or singing songs of worship in their little 
churches, they were liable to be attacked by the 
cruel Pequods. At last, the settlers could endure 
it no longer. They must protect the homes of their 



THE PEQUOD WAR. 127 

wives and children. And in the year 1637 began 
the terrible Pequod war. 

The English, headed by Captain John Mason, and 
aided by the Narragansetts and a few other tribes, 
made an attack on the principal fort of the Pequods. 
It was just before dawn. The Indians were sleep- 
ing. While the English soldiers were ascending 
the hill on top of which stood the fort, a watch-dog 
barked an alarm. The Indians awoke and hastened 
to the fight. They numbered nearly three times as 
many as the English, and it seemed as if they must 
conquer. 

" We must burn them ! " shouted Mason ; and he 
threw firebrands among the light mats of the wig- 
wams. In a few moments, the whole encampment 
was in a blaze. Six hundred Indians — men, women, 
and children — perished in the flames ; while only 
two of the English had fallen in battle. 

In a few days, more troops came from Massachu- 
setts. The other Indian villages were attacked; 
every wigwam was laid in ruins. Their chief fled, 
and was afterwards killed by a hostile Indian. Of 
the few Pequods remaining, some joined the Narra- 
gansetts ; the rest were sold by the English into 
slavery. Thus perished the tribe of the Pequods, 
and the Connecticut settlers rejoiced in victory. 

Lizzie. — But, 0, mother, how they must have 



128 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

felt when they thought of the Indian mothers and 
little children that had been burned to death ! 

Will. — Yes; but their own mothers and chil- 
dren would have been killed, perhaps, if the Pe- 
quods hadn't been destroyed. 

Lizzie. — I don't believe it ! They might have 
offered to buy the land. They might have treated 
the Indians as William Penn did afterwards ; then 
they wouldn't have had to be so cruel. 

Mother. — There is no doubt that the Pequods 
were more fierce and cruel than the tribes in Penn- 
sylvania ; but I feel sure that more kindness on tlie 
part of the white people would have brought about 
a different treatment from the Indians. 



KING Philip's war. 129 



XIII. 

KING PHILIP'S WAR. 

Will. — What other colony had quarrels with 
the Indians ? 

Mother. — The Massachusetts and Plymouth set- 
tlements, — or we will say the Massachusetts col- 
ony, as the two were united. 

Lizzie. — Why, I thought the treaty with the 
great Indian chief — 

Will. — Massasoit — 

Lizzie. — Yes ; — I thought the treaty with Mas- 
sasoit wasn't broken for over fifty years. 

Mother. — You are quite right. And it was not 
till after his death that the troubles began. Massa- 
soit always showed a very kind feeling toward the 
whites. During the Indian war of 1637, he used 
his influence to keep the different New England 
tribes from uniting with the Pequods against the 
English ; and it is said that this Indian chief and 
Roger Williams had more to do than any one else 
in saving the New England settlements from de- 
struction by the natives. 
9 



130 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY, 

Massasoit frequently did things to show friendh"- 
ness to the English. At one time he sent his two 
sons to the court at Plymouth to receive new names. 

'' My sons shall be no more called by the name 
of their fathers," he said. "Let them receive new 
names, that you may know I love you and yours, 
and desire to have you feel kindly to me and mine." 

So the two sons gave up their Indian names, and 
were called Alexander and Philip. The oldest, 
Alexander, became king of the Pokanokets when 
Massasoit died. lie always showed the same kind 
feeling toward the wliites that liis father had done. 

Will. — Then I don't see how any trouble could 
come. 

Mother. — As the settlors in Connecticut had 
suffered such losses at the hands of the Indians, they 
were always watchful and suspicious lest the tribes 
in their neighborhood should turn against them. At 
one time thoy heard that Alexander was their en- 
emy, and that he had asked the Narragansetts to 
join with him in a war against the whites. 

Will. — I don't believe that of a son of Massa- 
soit. 

Mother. — Without waiting to see if it were true 
or not, Alexander was in a haughty manner ordered 
to appear before the Plymouth court. 

Lizzie. — Had they any right to order him to go, 
mother? 



KING PHILIP'S WAR. 131 

Mother. — Aloxander thought not, and refused to 
go. Upon this, Captain Winslow with a force of ten 
men was sent to arrest liini. They surprised Alex- 
ander and his fohowers, not many miles from his 
home at Mount Hope. Then they took away the 
arms of the little Indian troop, and Captain Wins- 
low, pointing a pistol at Alexander, said, " If you 
stir, or if you refuse to go back with us, you are a 
dead man ! " 

Alexander was at first so astonished tliat he could 
not speak. Had he deserved such treatment? Was 
this the return for the kindness shown them by his 
father during the last fifty years ? It was too much 
to bear. A raging fever crept into the veins of the 
proud king. A sudden weakness seized hiui, and 
in faltering accents he asked if he might go home. 
He was allowed to go ; but he died upon the way. 

Will. — Well ! if the Indians didn't rise and have 
a fight after that, then I'm mistaken. I should like 
to know how the Massachusetts people would feel, if 
their governor Avere treated so. I tell you what ! I 
wouldn't blame the Pokanokets if they had driven 
every white man out of the country. 

Mother. — Upon the death of Alexander, Philip 
became king of the Pokanokets. The thought of 
his brother's death was like a thorn rankling in his 
heart. It is true that he appeared at the Plyuiouth 



132 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

and Boston courts, and promised kindness to the 
whites. For several years, it seemed that he meant 
to carry out the kindly intentions of his father. But 
every year the English wanted more and more land ; 
so that the hunting-grounds were continually be- 
coming smaller, and they had fewer fishing-streams 
to depend on. 

Lizzie, — That must have been hard for the poor 
Indians, when they had once had the whole land to 
roam over. 

Mother. — Philip foresaw that if nothing were 
done to stop the whites, the time would come when 
his people would be driven from their birthplace. 
Should he be a coward, and die a slave ; or should 
he rouse his people to fight for the land of their 
fathers? The settlers wanted them to swear that 
they would be faithful to the king of England. 
What did they care for a far-off" king they had 
never seen? If the English king let his people 
behave as the settlers had done, they did not want to 
have anything to do with him. Besides, the whites 
tried to force a religion upon them which they did not 
like. They enjoyed their own religion best, which 
they felt was given them by the Great Spirit. 

All these grievances made Philip resolve to get 
the tribes throughout New England to fight for their 
country and their rights. 



KING PHILIP'S WAE. 133 

An affair soon occurred which hurried Philip into 
war before he was fully prepared. An Indian -by 
the name of Sassamon had been educated by the 
settlers, so that he might become a teacher among 
his own people. He had even been through college. 

Lizzie. — Why ! did they have schools and col- 
leges then? 

Mother. — Certainly. The New England settlers 
started common schools in a very few years after 
they came over. Harvard College was founded in 
1636; and it was here that Sassamon got his educa- 
tion. After this he Avas private secretary to Philip ; 
that is, he did all his writing. 

Will. — Then he must have known all about 
Philip's affairs. 

Mother. — Exactly: and that is how the trouble 
commenced. Sassamon suddenly left him, went to 
the governments at Plymouth and Boston, and told 
them all about Philip's plans. 

Will. — The traitor ! 

Mother. — Soon after this, Sassamon was mur- 
dered, — by whom, no one knew. But three Indians 
were arrested by the settlers, declared guilty, and 
put to death. One of these Indians was a particu- 
lar friend of Philip's. 

Will. — That made him angry again. 

Mother. — He at once ordered his tribe to send 



134 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

all their Avomen and children to the Nari-agansetts 
for safety. And soon the cry of " War ! war ! " went 
through the New England colonies. This was in 
June, 1675. 

Philip is said to have wept when he first heard 
that English blood had been shed by some of his 
tribe. 

Lizzie. — I suppose that was because his father's 
treaty was broken. 

Mother. — The colonists declared that the war 
against Philip was just. 

Will. — Of course. 

Lizzie. — 0, dear ! war is dieadful ! I wish they 
had not treated the Indians so, after Massasoit died. 

Did Philip's people have to suffer as much as the 
Pequods did ? 

Mother. — The stories are somewhat alike ; but I 
think King Philip's war was the sadder of the two, 
because the Pokanokets had been such good friends 
to the English, helping them in many ways. 

Will. — Yes ; and the Pequods always hated the 
Connecticut settlers. 

Mother. — Remembering what the Connecticut 
people had suffered, the Massachusetts colonists 
were filled with liorror. They at once raised troops 
to fight the Pokanokets. In a Aveek after the war 
commenced, Philip was driven from his home at 



KING PHILIP'S WAR. 135 

Mount Hope ; and he flew from one tribe to another, 
to engage them to fight on his side. Soon, town 
after town was attacked, the houses plundered, and 
many of them set on fire. There was no rest for 
the settlers, day or night. If the farmer went out 
to i'eed his cattle, there was no certainty he would 
ever come back. Even the mother with her little 
babes was not safe, and she fled in terror from one 
town to another. 

Will. — I should think the soldiers might have 
been on the lookout, so as to keep off the Indians. 

Mother. — The Indians have a different kind of 
warfare from the English. Instead of going in a 
large body in open day, they would lurk behind 
trees, or hide in muddy swamps which no white 
man dared to enter. Then they would steal out 
and surprise the whites. 

Will. — What did the Narragansetts do ? Did 
they join Philip? 

Mother. — At first they promised to join the 
English. But after Philip had been figiiting several 
months, driven about from one place to another, and 
having lost a large number of his warriors, he was 
nearly destitute. In this condition he went to the 
Narragansetts for safety and help. Canonchet, their 
present chief, received him with open arms. 

Will. — That didn't suit tiie English. 



136 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — No; and they deterrainod to strike a 
blow tbat should ruin both chiefs at once, and put 
an end to the war. A lai'ge body of soldiers was 
raised in all the colonies, and sent into tlie Nar- 
ragansett country. It was mid-winter, and the 
swamps being frozen and leafless, the Indians could 
not escape the English so readily as in summer. 
Canonchet, fearful of an attack, had sent the greater 
part of his stores, together with the old, the sick, 
the women and children of his tribe, to a kind of 
Island in the middle of a swamp. Here Philip and 
himself had gathered their warriors, and had care- 
fully built a kind of fortress, which hid the wig- 
wams. 

Lizzie. — You said Philip had sent his women and 
children to the Narragansetts ; so I suppose some 
of them were in the fort too. 

Mother. — Yes: and the two cliiefs thought they 
had built the fortress so strong that nothing could 
happen to the dear ones within. But the English, 
guided by a native who had turned traitor to Philip, 
plunged through the snowdrifts and took the Indians 
by surprise. Then came a fierce and cruel fight. 
At first the English were driven back, and several 
of their bravest officers were killed ; but soon they 
gained ground. The Indians, driven from one post 
of the fortress to another, fought with the fury of 



KING PHILIP'S WAR. 137 

despair. Most of their warriors were cut to pieces ; 
and after a long and bloody battle, Philip and Ca- 
nonchet retreated from the fort, and fled to a forest 
near by. 

Lizzie. — And what became of the Indian mothers 
and little children ? 

Mother. — The English set fire to the forts and 
to all of the wigwams ; and most of the old men, 
women, and children perished in the flames. 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! I should think Philip and 
Canonchet would wish they had died too. 

Mother. — When they saw the flames, and heard 
the cries of their helpless ones, they filled the woods 
with yells of rage and despair. 

Will. — And did the settlers believe all this was 
right ? 

Mother. — They were sorry the wigwams were 
burned, for, being for from home, they had no roof 
to shelter them from the winter storms. 

Lizzie. — How could they stop to think of them- 
selves, wiien all the poor Indians w^ere suffering so ! 

Mother. — It is said that when the colonists saw 
the terrible suffering they had caused, they felt 
troubled, and some asked themselves if this was the 
way God would have the Indians treated. 

Lizzie. — You said most of the women and chil- 
dren were killed. What became of the rest? 



138 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — They hid themselves in a cedar swamp, 
with nothing but evergreen boughs to shelter them 
from the cold. They pawed up the snow to gather 
nuts and acorns, till they sank down from weakness 
and hunger. Thus perished the tribe of the Narra- 
gansetts. 

Lizzie. — Poor Indians ! 

Will. — But what became of Canonchet? 

Mother. — He would not give up, even after his 
terrible losses. '' We will fight to the last man," he 
said, '' rather than become slaves of the English ! " 

Being pursued by the colonists, he was finally 
taken prisoner; and when told that he was con- 
demned to die, he said, " I like it well ! I shall die 
before my heart is soft, or before I say anything 
unworthy of myself ! " 

Will. — And what became of Philip ? 

Mother. — He was discouraged and almost bro- 
ken-hearted by the death of Canonchet, for they 
had loved each other tenderly. But he was not 
quite desolate, for his wife and little son had never 
left him. After the defeat of the Narragansetts, he 
wanted to look once more upon his native land. So, 
with his loved ones and a few warriors, he visited 
Mount Hope. But 0, how changed was the home 
of his boyhood ! Only ruin and desolation every- 
where. 



KING PHILIP'S WAR. 



139 



But even here there was no rest for him; for the 
settlers did not feel safe so long as they knew that 
the king of the Pokanokets was living. Early one 




King Philip visiting his Ruined Home 

morning he was surprised by 

the English, most of his war- v,-.^ ,i^x«na. 

riors were slain, and his wife °'''^' •^/^ly^; 

and son wei'e made prisoners. 

The broken-hearted chief, with a few followers, fled 

to a swamp where the muddy pools were hidden 

from sight b}' low slirubs. 

Lizzie. — 0. they wouldn't hunt down a poor 



W^' 



140 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Indian when he was so badly off! Philip couldn't 
do any harm now. 

Mother. — As they were cut off from all the 
necessaries of life, one of his followers said to 
Philip, " It is no use to fight any more. Why not 
give up to the English?" "Give up? Never!"' 
said Philip ; and he shot the coward warrior dead at 
his feet. 

A brother of the Indian that was killed was so 
provoked at this, that he ran over to the English and 
told where Philip was. A party of the settlers soon 
surrounded the swamp, Philip fought till every 
follower was slain ; then, turning to fly, he was shot 
dead. 

Lizzie. — And his wife and little boy ? 

Mother. — I don't know what became of Philip's 
wife after she was taken prisoner ; but Pliilip's only 
son — the little prince who was to have become 
king of the Pokanokets • — was sold into slavery. 

Will. — That was a handsome return for what 
Massasoit did for the settlers. I tell you what I 
think : the settlers didn't really believe the Indians 
were men like themselves. Anyhow, they acted as 
if they thought wliite folks were a great deal better 
than the red men. Now if they had only believed 
as William Penn did, — that they were men, and not 
wild beasts, — they would not have treated them so. 



KING Philip's war. 141 

Lizzie, — No ; for they would have thought that 
God wanted all his children to be kind to each 
other. 

Mother. — The settlers suffered greatly through 
the war. For fifteen months they had been exposed 
to constant attacks from the Indians, during which 
time they lost six hundred men. Thirteen towns 
had been burned to the ground, and eleven partlj^ 
so. They also got largely in debt from the expenses 
of the war. 

Lizzie. - — And the Pokanokets and Narragansetts 
lost everything. 

Will. — Think they did ! There were no such 
tribes after this. 

Mother. — True ; the end of King Philip's war, 
in 1670, was the last that was heard of the Pokano- 
kets or Narragansetts. 



142 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XIV. 

KING GEORGE'S WAR. 

Will. — Were there any other such terrible times 
between the settlers and the Indians ? 

Mother. — Nearly all the colonies suffered more 
or less from the cruelties of the native tribes. 

Lizzie. — Pennsylvania did not. 

Mother. — No ; not while William Penn lived. 
The colonies were engaged in another war soon 
after King Philip's death ; but this time the trouble 
did not begin in America. 

Whenever England went to war against any na- 
tion in Europe, it was felt in this country. 

Will. — That was because there were people 
from those nations in the colonies — wasn't it? 

Mother. — Yes. At one time, England had a war 
with Spain. Can you tell me which colonies would 
feel it most ? 

Lizzie. — I think it must have been the colonies 
nearest the Gulf of Mexico, because the land which 
Spain owned in America was there. 

Mother. — You are right. After this war was 



KING George's war. 143 

over, England had several quarrels with France. 
The one I shall tell you about first was in 1744. 

Lizzie. — That was a long time after the colonies 
were settled. 

Will. — Not so very long after the settling of the 
southern colonies. 

Mother. — Do you remember what France owned 
in America? 

Lizzie. — I do : Canada. 

Will. — I suppose the French went over and 
settled Canada, as the English did Virginia and the 
other colonies. 

Mother. — Yes; and some of the French settle- 
ments were made before the English ones. Acadia, 
for instance, now called Nova Scotia, was settled 
before Jamestown. 

Lizzie. — They must have had dreadful winters, 
going so far north. 

Mother. — It is not so cold as you might suppose 
it to be. It is a very beautiful spot. I shall have 
a story to tell you about Acadia, so do not forget 
where it is. 

You have learned by this time that people in 
coming to a new country generally settle along the 
rivers. 

Will. — Of course. The land is better ; and they 
can easily sail up the rivers from the ocean. 



144 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — So you can tell where the French 
probably settled in Canada, if you will examine your 
maps a moment. 

Lizzie. — I think, along the St. Lawrence : that is 
the largest river. 

Will. — And after a while they might follow up 
the river till they came to the great lakes, and start 
towns there. 

Mother. — They did so. They had also formed 
settlements at Newfoundland. 

The English had never disputed the right of the 
French to Canada ; but now that England and France 
were at war, matters were very different. 

Will. — I suppose the French people in Canada 
thought they must fight the English in the colonies ; 
didn't they ? 

Mother. — Exactly so. And England encouraged 
her colonies to take up arms against the French. 
She had little difficulty in doing this ; for the colo- 
nies still dearly loved their mother-country ; and her 
wrongs were their wrongs. 

Lizzie. — It seems hard that the settlers should 
have troubles just because the English and French 
kings had a quarrel. They had been through such 
dreadful times in making their homes in the first 
place, and then in fighting the Indians, I should 
think they would have been discouraged at the 
thought of more fighting. 



KING George's war. 145 

Mother. — They were often disheartened. 

Will. — How was it with the Indians ? Did they 
side with the French or English ? 

Mother. — Part of the Indians sided with the 
English, and part with the French. 

Will. — Then they had Indian wars again. 

Mother. — Which made the times far worse for 
the colonists. 

At one time a large number of troops was raised 
in New England, to make an attack on the strongest 
fort of the French. It was called Louisburg, and 
was situated on the Island of Cape Breton, at the 
entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

Will. — I saw a fort once : there were cannons 
looking out of every window. 

Mother. — There were a great many cannons at 
Louisburg. Take your maps and find it. 

Will. — I see it. I suppose when the English 
tried to sail past it, so as to get up the St. Law- 
rence, the cannons in the fort would fire away at 
them. 

Mother. — Yes; and as the principal French set- 
tlements were on that river, the English thought 
they could not do better than to get possession of 
this great Gate of Canada, as it was called. 

Will. — I can see. Did they get it? 

Mother. — Yes ; but at the end of the war, when 
10 



146 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

the English and French kings were deciding what 
each should have, it was agreed that the fortress of 
Louisburg should be given back to France. This was 
very provoking to the New Englanders, after they 
had taken so much trouble and lost so many men in 
taking the fort for their king, George II. 





'^Mh ^^ 



Capture of Louisburg. 

Will. — I hope they let George II. do his own 
fighting after that. 

Mother. — This war, called King George's war, 
lasted four years. After this the colonists had a few 
years of quiet. 



QOW A POOR BOY BECAME A FAMOUS MAN. 147 



XV. 

HOW A POOR BOY BECAME A FAMOUS MAN. 

Mother. — Just so surely as the needed rain and 
sunshine come to gladden the growing trees in 
spring-time, so surely did the men appear who 
seemed to have been born and fitted to help Amer- 
ica in her times of greatest danger. One of these men 
was Benjamin Franklin, born in Boston in the year 
1706. In his early childhood he might have been 
seen running about the streets — a little ragged 
fellow, as unconcerned as if making mud pies and 
sailing toy boats by the sea-shore were all he was 
born for. 

Will. — Didn't he go to school? 

Mother. — Only for a little while. His father 
was poor, and was obliged to take him into his shop, 
to work at eandle-making, when he was only ten 
years old. This business was very distasteful to 
Benjamin ; but his father kindly gave him some 
time for play. 

One of his favorite amusements was, in company 
with his mates, to fish for minnows in a creek not 



148 TBDE STOEY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

far from honae ; and the mother complained bitterly 
of the muddy boots and trousers that came home at 
night. 

One day little Ben said, "Boys, this mud is a 
nuisance ; and I know how we can get rid of it." 

"How? how?" said the boys. 

" Don't you see that big pile of stones the work- 
men have heaped up in that next lot? Come to- 
night after dark, and we will bring the stones all 
over here and make us a wharf" 

" Hurrah ! We'll do it ! we'll do it ! " said the 
boys. 

So when night came, the boys went to work like 
so many little ants, tugging away, sometimes two at 
one stone. The wharf was jBnished. 

The next morning, when the workmen came to 
commence their cellar, they were surprised and very 
angry at what had been done. They found out the 
names of the boys, and went and complained to 
their parents. 

Lizzie. — Franklin was most to blame. 

Mother. — At first he could not see that he was 
to blame at all. " The wharf is very useful," he 
said. 

Lizzie. — Yes ; but he stole the stones to make 
it of. 

Mother. — After a while, Franklin's father con- 



HOW A POOR BOY BECAME A FAMOUS MAN. 149 

vinced him that " that which is not honest cannot he 
truly useful.''^ 

Will. — If Franklin was to become very useful 
to his country, I don't believe he staid very long in 
his father's shop making candles. 

Mother. — When he was twelve years old, his 
brother James opened a printing office ; and the fa- 
ther gladly apprenticed Benjamin to his brother, 
for he knew Benjamin would like this business 
better. 

Lizzie. — Yes ; for he would have a chance to see 
a good many books. 

Mother. — When Franklin was fifteen years old, 
his brother James began publishing a newspaper. 
After a Avhile, Benjamin wrote several articles for 
the paper himself. 

" Now, if I let James know who wrote them," he 
said, " he will not think them worth noticing. I 
will disguise my handwriting, and put them under 
the door after dark." 

When James found the pieces, he showed them 
to his friends ; and Franklin heard them all wonder 
who could be their author. And when they decided 
it must be such a one, naming a man of great learn- 
ing, he was very much encouraged. He went on 
writing for the paper, and did not tell his secret for 
a long time. But when he did. James was more 
envious than glad. 



150 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

After a while, some of Benjamin's writings got 
his brother into trouble. Even at that age Franklin 
was much interested in the j)ublic meetings ; and 
if anything happened which he thought unjust to 
the public, he at once spoke of it in the paper. 
Some of his pieces were aimed at what he thought 
was wrong in the government officers. And finally 
the colonial assembly felt themselves so much in- 
sulted, that James was arrested and sent to prison 
for a month ; and he could not publish the paper 
after this. 

The paper was continued for a while in Benja- 
min's name ; but the whole affi\ir caused James to 
treat his brother with unkindness, and even cruelty, 
so much so that Benjamin ran away to New York. 
Not finding employment there, he went to Philadel- 
phia. Imagine how funny he must have looked 
when he arrived there. Here is his own account : — 

" I was in my working-dress, my best clothes 
being to come by sea. I was covered with dirt ; 
my pockets were filled with shirts and stockings. 
Fatigued with walking, rowing, and having passed 
the night without sleep, I was extremely hungry, 
and all my money consisted of a Dutch dollar and 
about a shilling's worth of coppers, which I gave 
the boatmen for my passage." 

He went into a baker's shop and asked for a three- 



HOW A POOK BOY BECAME A FAMOUS MAN. 151 



peDny loaf. " The baker gave me/' says Franklin, 
'' three large rolls. I was surprised at receiving so 
much, I took them, however, and having no room in 
my pockets, I walked on with a roll under each arm, 
eating the third. In this manner I went through 




Franklin's first Appearance in Philadelphia. 

Market Street to Fourth Street, and passed the 
house of Mr. Read, the father of my future wife. 
She was standing at the door, observed me, and 
thought with reason that I made a very singular 
and grotesque appearance." 



152 Till'] KTOIIY OF OUJi COUNTIJ.Y. 

LizzTE. — Poor fellow ! 

Will. — Such a boy as that wasn't long witliout 
work, 1 know. 

MoTiiKit. — lie soon found employment in a prints 
ing-ollice, and happened to board witli the father of 
the young lady who had lauglicd at his awkwai-d 
looks. 

P^ranklin first came into public notice when he 
was about twenty-one. The colony of New Jersey 
was about to issue paper money ; and the printing 
of the bills came to Franklin's employer. The work 
had to 1)0 (lone in New Jersey, so that it miglit be 
carefully overlooked by the government olfiecrs. 
They soon found out that it was Franklin who in- 
vented ornamental designs for the bills, and who 
contrived the (U)p[)er- plate press. '' Look here ! '' 
said they ; " this young fellow knows more about 
printing than his master ! He is more kind and 
obliging too. He will get the business all into his 
own hands l)efoi'o long." 

And this proved true. He was soon in business 
for himself, and became {)rinter for the Pennsylvania 
colony, at the same time publishing a newspaper in 
which he freely gave his opinions about public mat- 
ters. The paper was so much more attractive than 
any that had before appeared in the colonics, that it 
soon had a long list ol" subscribers. 



HOW A POOR BOY JiECAME A KAMOUS MAN. 153 

Will, — ITow Franklin did succeed in every- 
thing ! 

Lizzie. — T suppose that was because he did 
everything so well. 

Mother. — Most likely every one would succeed 
if lie were as upright, industrious, [)rudent, and 
saving as Franklin was. 

As ho got older and saw that many failed in their 
undertakings while ho succeeded, he was anxious 
that othcirs should try his plan. ']'o lot p(;ople know 
the secret of his success, he published an almanac 
called " Poor Richard's Almanac." Every nund)or 
contained wise sayings which people could easily 
reinonib(;r, and which would l(\ad them to be pru- 
dent and kind, lie j)ul)h'sh('d the aliuan;u: annually 
for twenty-iive years ; and at the end of that time 
he coUeeted all the proverbs into one book, which 
he called " The Way to VVealtli." The wise sayings 
in this book were so much thought ol", that they 
were copied into the newspapers of all the colonies, 
and were afterwards reprinted in England and 
France. 

By the time Franklin was thirty he had got his 
business into such a prosperous condition that he 
could afford to give a large share of his time to the 
public good. First, he thought of his own city. 
To wake people up to improve their minds, he 



154 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

started a club. This club lasted for forty years, and 
then became the '' American Philosophical Society," 
of which Franklin was first president. Franklin 
also influenced the people of Philadelphia to have 
the city paved and lighted ; to have an orderly fire 
department; to have a public library; and to start 
good schools and colleges. So much can one man 
do, if he has the will. 

Will. — I should think he would have been a 
good man for governor, or something like that. 

Mother. — He did hold many different offices in 
the course of his life, as you will see. The first 
was that of clerk to the Colonial Assembly. After- 
wards he became postmaster. Whenever any pub- 
lic improvement was thought of, he was one of the 
first to be consulted. " If we can get Franklin to 
push it, it will go," people said. 

Lizzie. — But I suppose he wouldn't help unless 
he thought it would be a good thing for the people. 

Mother. — No, indeed ! And that was why every 
one had so much confidence in him. They knew he 
had common sense. One of his mottoes was, " A 
man's truest good can be found in doing all the 
good he can to others." 

With all the public and private business he had 
on his hands, liO still found time for self-improve- 
ment. He learned the French, Spanish, and Italian 
languages, and afterwards the Latin. 



HOW A POOR BOY BECAME A FAMOUS MAN. 155 

After he had started many improvements in Phila- 
delphia, he thought of the colony at large. As 
many members of the government were Quakers, 
nothing had been done to train soldiers; while 
Pennsylvania was liable to be attacked by foreign 
invaders as well as by Indians. 

Lizzie. — I thought you said William Penn made 
all the Indians about there behave well. 

Mother. — So he did; but that was seventy years 
before ; and many people had come to Pennsylvania 
who did not understand dealing with the natives. 
And through the influence of the French, the tribes 
on the borders of Pennsylvania began to take ad- 
vantage of the whites. 

Will. — Did Franklin raise the soldiers? 

Mother. — He went to work with his usual spirit, 
to show people the need. Then he roused them to 
enlist. It was not long before a large body of 
soldiers were ready in case of attack ; and a fort 
was built on the river below the city. 

Will. — What did the Quakers say to that ? 

Mother. — Though he did not get much help 
from them, he found they were very willing that 
other people should defend the colony. His energy 
and common sense in this affair called forth the 
praise and thanks of the governor and council ; and 
after this they consulted him whenever any impor- 
tant matter came up that concerned the colony. 



156 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

It was about this time that Franklin made his 
great discoveries in electricity. 

Will. — I remember a story about that. Franklin 
had thought for a good while that lightning was the 
same as electricity; and one day he sent up a kite, 
pointed with wire, into a thunder-cloud, — and down 
came the lightning rigiit into the ground. 

Mother. — That was the way he came to invent 
lightning-rods, which have saved so many houses 
from destruction. This and other discoveries made 
him famous all over the world ; and many colleges 
of Europe gave him learned titles on account of it. 

Lizzie. — And only think ! he never went to 
school after he was ten years old. 

Mother. — The next public service of Franklin 
was a benefit to the whole country. The post-offices 
had been a great expense to the government ; and 
yet they were so poorly arranged that news trav- 
elled very slowly. Franklin was made postmaster- 
general of all the colonies ; and in a few years, not 
only were all the expenses met, but there was a 
good sum over. 

After this time the life of Franklin becomes 
closely united to the Story of Our Country ; so I 
shall have to leave him for the present, and tell you 
something about the troublesome times that were 
coming to the colonies. 



WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 157 

XVI. 

WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 

Mother. — We must keep in mind that the French 
owned Canada. 

Lizzie. — And the English owned what is now 
the United States. 

Mother. — At first England claimed the land 
quite across the country, from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific. But as the settlements were all along the 
coast, — not extending into the interior, — the 
French began to say to themselves, " The English 
really own only what they have settled; we will 
explore the western country for ourselves." And 
some of their adventurers discovering the Missis- 
sippi, sailed down that great river till they reached 
the Gulf of Mexico. After this France claimed all 
the country watered by the Mississippi or its 
branches. 

Will. — Wait a minute, please, and let me find 
it on the map. 

Mother. — You will see what a large tract of 
country the French now claimed. 

Will. — Why, yes ; there is the Ohio River, which 



158 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

flows into the Mississippi. Did they claim the 
country around that ? 

Mother. — They did. 

Will. — See here ! If the French claimed all the 
land watered by this great river and its branches, 
the English could have only the land east of the 
Alleghanies. 

Mother. — That is so. And one of the governors 
sent word home that if the French were allowed to 
go on, '^ the kings of England would not have a 
hundred miles away from the sea anywhere." Eng- 
. land did not take much notice of this at first ; and 
the French went on planning and working, till they 
had built a chain of forts, sixty in number, reaching 
from Quebec to New Orleans. This was to show 
that all the interior of the country belonged to 
them. 

Will. — I should have thought the English king 
had better wake up and do something, if he cared 
anything about his colonies. Just think ! He had 
given up the great fort of Louisburg ; so, of course, 
the French could keep the English from going up 
the St. Lawrence ; and if they had forts on the Mis- 
sissippi, the English couldn't go up that river 
either. 

Mother. — True. And the French said, " If we 
can keep these two great rivers to ourselves, we 



WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 159 

shall get most of the American trade into our own 
hands. The people of the West Indies will be very 
glad to send their goods up the Mississippi ; and we 
can open trade, too, with all the Indians west of the 
Alleghanies." 

Will. — But what were the colonies doing all 
this time ? Why didn't they try to get some of the 
trade ? 

Mother. — The leading men in all the colonies 
began to be very anxious ; and they were glad when 
the English government advised the colonies to get 
the Indians to join them against the French. So 
the colonies each sent a man to Albany to make a 
treaty for this purpose with a large body of Indians 
in and around New York, called the " Six Nations." 
The treaty was made, and the Six Nations promised 
to help the colonists. 

It was hoped, too, that the assembly ^at Albany 
would find out the best ways for the colonies to de- 
fend themselves in the coming danger. 

Will. — I guess I know what man Pennsylvania 
sent, — Franklin. 

Mother. — Yes ; and no man did so much good 
there as he. His advice to the Asseinbly was some- 
thing like this : — 

" There is very little use in each colony's trying 
by itself to fight the enemy. The thirteen colonies 



160 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

ought to work together. They ought to be united, 
as brothers and sisters. If the French, in attacking 
one settlement, feel that all the rest will rush to the 
rescue, they will not be so bold in their insults." 

Lizzie. — Did Franklin want all the settlements to 
become one colony ? 

Mother. — Not at all. He wanted each colony to 
take care of its own affairs ; but also to help all the 
rest in case of need. 

Will. — I should think that was a good plan. 
Didn't the men at Albany think so? 

Mother. — They were much pleased with this idea 
of Franklin's ; but neither the colonies nor the king 
liked it. The colonies were afraid it would give too 
much powei to the king ; and the king was afraid it 
would give too much power to the people. So, al- 
though the colonies agreed to help each other in 
case of war, they took no more of Franklin's advice 
at that time. 

A few years before, a number of men in Virginia 
and Maryland, by the aid of a wealthy London 
merchant, had obtained a very large grant of land 
from King George II. This land was in the Ohio 
valley ; and the men called themselves the Ohio 
Company, Their plan was to form settlements at 
once, and open a fur trade with the Indians. 

Will. — If George II. and the French king both 



WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 161 

said their people might settle there, then there 
would be another fight between the French and 
English, I know. 

Mother. — Yes. And it commenced in this way : 
The Ohio Company went out to survey the land 
around the Ohio River. But the French ofiicers 
who were there told them that the land belonged to 
France, and no Englishman had a right there. Upon 
this, the governor of Virginia sent George Wash- 
ington, then a young man of twenty-one, to say to 
the French commander that George II. had given 
the Ohio Company the right to settle the land. But 
the messenger was received with contempt ; the 
English surveyors were driven away ; and the horrors 
of another war seemed hanging over the colonies. 

In 1755, England sent over General Braddock 
with two regiments, — 

Will. — Then they really began to have war. 

Mother. — Not just yet. As the troubles were 
mostly confined to the Ohio valley, it was thought 
that two thousand English soldiers could easily rout 
the French, so that the Ohio Company could go on 
with their work. 

General Braddock marched to Frederictown, Ma- 
ryland, where he waited to collect teams for carry- 
ing provisions and other necessaries. 

Take your maps, and find Frederictown ; and also 
11 



162 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

find Pittsburgh, which is the place General Braddock 
aimed at. There was a large fort there ; and the 
place was then called Fort Du Quesne. You notice 
that it stands at the head of the Ohio valley. 

Will. — Yes ; two rivers meet there — the Alle- 
ghany and Monongahela. 

Mother. — They unite to form the Ohio. 

Will. — Of course the French would think a 
great deal of that place. 

Mother. — While General Braddock was waiting 
at Frederictown, Franklin was sent to him to say 
that the colony of Pennsylvania was ready to help 
him in case of need. Just as he was about to leave, 
Braddock's agent came back, saying he could get 
only twenty-five wagons, and some of them were 
poor. 

'' Twenty-five wagons ! " exclaimed Braddock ; 
" we need a hundred and fifty at least. What miser- 
able business it was to send us over to this country, 
that is too poor to furnish us a few wagons ! " 

" You should have sent to Pennsylvania," said 
Franklin, quietly ; " nearly every farmer there keeps 
a wagon." 

" Look here ! " said Braddock ; " you are known 
all through the colony : why can't you get us the 
wagons ? " 

" Very well," said Franklin ; " put in writing what 



WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 163 

you need, and what you are willing to pay, and I 
will try to serve you." 

Will. — General Braddock got his wagons, I 
know. 

Mother. — In a few days one hundred and fifty 
wagons and twenty-one hundred horses arrived at the 
English camp. Besides these, came a lot of supplies 
— a present from the Pennsylvania government. All 
this was through Franklin's influence. Afterwards 
a number of soldiers from the colonies joined Brad- 
dock, George Washington being one of the aids. 

Lizzie. — With so much help General Braddock 
ought to succeed. 

Mother. — One would think so. But the English 
general had too much confidence in himself. Talk- 
ing of his plans to Franklin one day, he said, — 

" The taking of Fort Du Quesrie will cost us only 
three or four days ; and then I shall march to Niag- 
ara, and after taking that, I shall go to Frontenac," 

To this Franklin modestly replied, '' To be sure, 
sir, if you arrive at Fort Du Quesne with all these 
fine troops ! In my mind, your chief danger will be 
from the Indians, who never fight openly. If large 
numbers of them hide behind the trees, I am afraid 
they will surprise your long line of soldiers, and cut 
it into pieces like a thread." 

Braddock smiled confidently, and said, " These 



164 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

savages may indeed be terrible to your American 
militia ; but to the king's finely trained soldiers it is 
impossible they should do any harm." 

Will. — That's a good joke ! General Braddock 
didn't know what he was talking about. 

Mother. — The English soldiers were soon on 
their march; but before they even saw the enemy, 
they were fired upon from the forests. Seven hun- 
dred English soldiers soon lay dead on the field ; 
and the commander himself, after having five horses 
shot under him, was finally carried off with a deadly 
bullet in his side. 

The English troops were so surprised by the yells 
and fighting of the Indians, that it seemed for a time 
as if the whole army would be left dead on the field. 
But young Colonel Washington came to the rescue. 
An Indian chief singled him out to kill him, and 
told his warriors to do the same. Two horses were 
shot under him. ; his coat was pierced with four bul- 
lets, but he was unharmed. He showed such bravery 
that an English ofiicer afterwards said of him, " he 
acted as if he really loved the whistling bullets." 

Young Washington rallied the raw militia, and 
thus the army was saved from destruction. 

Will. — Were the French fighting? and did they 
lose many men? 

Mother. — Of the four or five hundred French 



WHAT HAPPENED TO AN ENGLISH GENERAL. 165 



and Indians together, only thirty men and three 
officers were killed, and thirty wounded. 

Lizzie. — If General Braddock had five horses 
shot under him, he must have been a brave man. 
Did he die? 




Mother. — He was 

silent all day, after 

being carried from 

the battle-field ; and 

at night he said, 

'' Who would have 
Braddock's Defeat. ., , , ., „ «. mi 

thought it r " 1 he 
next day he said, " We shall know better how to 
deal with them another time!" — and died. 



166 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Upon his death, the command of the army came 
to Colonel Dunbar, who had been left a few miles 
back with the provisions and a large body of sol- 
diers in reserve. When the runaways from the 
battle reached the camp, they so terrified Colonel 
Dunbar and his men, that the whole body of soldiers 
— over one thousand — instead of going on to meet 
the enemy, destroyed all the provisions, that they 
might have the horses for their own use ; then, 
mounting, with Colonel Dunbar at their head, they 
galloped from the noise of battle, and could not be 
persuaded to stop till they were safe in Philadelphia. 

Will. — Brave English troops ! Raw American 
militia ! 

Mother. — Franklin afterwards said that it taught 
the colonists a good lesson, which was, that they 
must not think too highly of the bravery of English 
troops. 

Lizzie. — I should say so I 



DKIVEN IKTO EXILE. 167 



XVII. 

DRIVEN INTO EXILE. 

Mother. — During the year 1755, the English 
made another attack on the French, which I am 
sorry to say was a success. 

Will. — Why do you say you are sorry, when we 
don't want the French to have America? 

Mother. — Hear the story, and then see. Do you 
remember what Nova Scotia used to be called? 

Will. — Acadia ; and it was settled by the French 
before John Smith came over. 

Mother. — At the time of Braddock's defeat it 
had about sixteen thousand inhabitants. The Aca- 
dians were a simple, hard-working people. The 
pastures were filled with their flocks. The fertile 
lands around the many rivers were covered with 
rich grass and waving wheat. The houses clustered 
together, and were comfortably furnislied. Proba- 
bly there was not at that time a happier settlement 
in America. The English were jealous of it. They 
wanted the fertile fields and the rivers abounding 
in fish. They wanted control of the fishing-trade 



168 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

on the coasts. So the British government advised 
the colonies to make an attack on Acadia. 

Lizzie. — Did the Acadians ever trouble the Eng- 
lish, as those French people near the Ohio did? 

Mother. — Never. They had even promised not 
to join with the French in war ; but they had also 
said they would not fight against France. It was 
not easy to go to war against a people that would 
not fight ; but the Acadians must be expelled from 
the country. 

The English hit upon a plan. A proclamation was 
made, commanding old men, young men, and boys 
of ten years to meet together. Suspecting nothing, 
they obeyed, not bringing their weapons even. 
What was their horror to hear this : — 

" Henceforth your lands, your houses, and your 
cattle belong to the king of England. You with 
your wives and children must all leave the 
country ! " 

In a few days the whole people were driven to the 
sea-shore. A part were hurried on board the few 
ships waiting for them, and set sail, never again to 
see their long-loved homes. Those who waited for 
the return of the ships wandered up and down the 
shore, or fled to the forests, hungry and half clothed. 
Children lost their parents, wives their husbands, 
brothers their sisters. 



DRIVEN INTO EXILE. 



169 



Lizzie. — But where did the people who were 
driven on board the ships go to? 




Acadians moving their Household Goods to the Sea-shore. 



Mother. — They were scattered along the shoie 
from New Hampshire to Georgia. 



170 THE STOEY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — If I had been put ashore, I would have 
found my way back home again. 

Mother. — The English thought of that. And 
while the innocent people who were left behind 
were wandering up and down the sea-shore, now 
watching for the return of the ships that had car- 
ried away their dear ones, and now casting loving 
glances toward their hard-earned homes, they saw 
flames burst forth from the deserted villages. What 
could it mean ? Had some careless villager forgot- 
ten his cottage hearth ? 

Soon the cruel truth dawned upon the sorrowing 
ones. The English, fearing that the exiles might 
seek their homes again, after the soldiers had left 
the neighborhood, had set fire to every homestead 
in Acadia. The cattle and fields of wheat they had 
kept for themselves. 

Lizzie. — 0, mother ! you never told us anything 
so cruel and so sad. 

Will. — I don't see what excuse the Englisli 
could have had for such meanness. 

Mother. — The only possible excuse was that, in 
1713, in settling some troubles with France, this 
little province of Acadia was made over to the 
English. But the people had been allowed to re- 
main undisturbed, and to have oflScers of their own 
choosing. 



DRIVEN INTO EXILE. 171 

Will. — But all that didn't make it right to drive 
the poor Acadians from their homes. 

Mother. — It seems as if people's eyes were 
blinded in times of war, so that they cannot tell 
right from Ma-ong. There might have been many 
who felt sorry for the poor exiles ; but the English 
government rejoiced that it had possession of the 
country bordering on tlie St. Lawrence. 



172 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XVIII. 

THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

Mother. — As I have already told you, there had 
been fighting between the French and English in 
America lor over a 3'ear. But England did not 
really declare war against France till 1756. 

The plans for this war were made in England, and 
the different colonies had to give their help. It 
was called the French and Indian war. During 
two years, the English met with shameful losses ; 
and it seemed for a time as if the French would 
have everything their own way. But a new man 
came into power in England, named William Pitt. 
His influence in directing affairs in America was 
like a mighty river that carries everything before 
it. But rivers become great through the other 
rivers which flow into them ; and so it was with re- 
gard to William Pitt. He learned from Benjamin 
Franklin what were America's greatest needs. 

Lizzie. — Why ! was Franklin in England ? 

Mother. — Yes ; he had been sent there by the 
Pennsylvania government, to lay before the king 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 173 

certain petitions for the welfare of the colony. To 
be sure, Franklin did not see Pitt ; but he frequently 
saw his two secretaries, who reported to Pitt all he 
said. 

Franklin showed the great need of colonizing the 
West, especially the country near the Ohio. He also 
showed that there never could be a lasting peace 
till Canada belonged to England. And he even 
planned certain attacks, which were afterwards suc- 
cessfully made. 

Will. — What a great man Franklin was ! The 
last time you spoke of him, he was doing something 
to help all the colonies. Now he is planning to help 
England herself. 

Mother. — Of course the English were anxious to 
get possession of the forts, especially the most im- 
portant ones. 

Will. — Then I should think they would have 
tried to get Louisburg again. 

Mother. — They did ; and in the following year 
it fell into their hands. 

Lizzie. — And didn't the English get the fort that 
Braddock tried for ? 

Will. — You mean Fort Du Quesne. 

Mother. — Yes ; during this same year the French 
lost that stronghold. The taking of this fort was a 
great event in the history of the colonieSj for a 



174 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

highway was then opened to the great West, which 
was never afterwards closed. Washington became 
famous through his important services at that time. 
The name of the fort was changed to Pittsburgh, in 
honor of WiUiam Pitt, who planned the expedition. 

From this time the English were everywhere suc- 
cessful. Ticonderoga and Crown Point, the two 
large forts at the head of Lake Champlain, came into 
the hands of the English ; and after these, Niagara. 

Will. — I have found all those places on the map, 
and it seems to me that if the French had lost Louis- 
burg, Nova Scotia, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Ni- 
agara, and Fort Du Quesne, they couldn't expect to 
hold out much longer. They couldn't stop the Eng- 
lish from going almost anywhere they pleased after 
that. 

Mother. — The only very important fort left to 
the French was at Quebec. 

Lizzie. — I see where Quebec is. It is on the St. 
Lawrence River. 

Mother. — And is the most important city on the 
river. There was a very large fort there, com- 
manded by General Montcalm. 

Lizzie. — He was the French general then — 
wasn't he ? 

Mother. — Yes ; and he had taken such great 
pains to guard the city carefully at every point, that 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 175 

he thought the English could not possibly get pos- 
session of it. 

General Wolfe, a brave young officer, had been 
chosen to make the attack on Quebec. At first the 
task seemed a discouraging one. The fort itself is 
on a high point of land overlooking the city ; and 
Wolfe's troops were on the river-side below. In- 
dian spies were watching them from every point ; 
and their every movement was quickly made known 
i:D the French commander. After several useless 
attempts to take it, Wolfe moved his army to a place 
several miles above the city. One day, as he was 
riding about to examine the country, he noticed just 
above Quebec some high cliffs rising abruptly from 
the river, and at the top of the cliffs a level spot, 
which he afterwards learned was called the Plains 
of Abraham. General Montcahu had not guarded 
this place, for he thought it impossible for any one 
to scale the steep cliffs. But Wolfe's quick eye de 
tected a little cove, from which a narrow path wouna 
up the steep. Instantly he was on his way back to 
the camp ; and soon all his troops were quietly get- 
ting ready to move. 

At one o'clock at night, the British army in boats 
glided quietly down the river, aided by tlie rapid cur- 
rent of the stream. Darkness hung over them like 
a curtain. No man was allowed to speak, under 



176 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



penalty of death. The httle pathway was reached. 
Wolfe leaped first on shore. Encouraged by his 
cheerfulness of manner, the men followed their 

brave young leader 
up the rough ascent. 
At sunrise the Brit- 
ish army stood on 
the Plains of Abra- 
ham. 

Will, — How as- 




Wolfe's Army ascending the Heights 

tonished General Montcalm , 
must have been when he saw 
the English troops ! 

Mother. — The battle com- 
menced at ten o'clock ; and after a fierce struggle 
the English gained the day. 



THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 177 

Before the battle was over, Genei-al Wolfe was 
fatally wounded, and was borne from the field. 
While dying, he heard the cry, " They run ! they 
run ! " Rousing himself, he said, " Who run ? " 
Upon being told it was the French, he said, " I die 
content ! " 

Montcalm, too, was mortally wounded. When 
told he could not survive, he said, " I am glad of it ! 
I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec ! " 

Will. — With both generals gone, there could 
not be much more fighting. 

Mother. — No ; after the first day of battle, most 
of the French were willing to give up. The citi- 
zens of Quebec said, " We have cheerfully sacrificed 
our fortunes and our houses, but we cannot expose 
our wives and children to a massacre." And soon 
after, the city of Quebec passed into the hands of 
the English. 

This victory of 1759 caused great rejoicing 
throughout the colonies. 

There was no more fighting in America at this 
time ; but there were battles upon the sea between 
the English and French ships. 

It was very difficult for the two countries to de- 
cide what each should keep or give up. So it was 
not until 1763 that matters were finally settled and 
peace declared. 



178 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Through the French and Indian war, France lost 
all her possessions in America, except twenty-three 
small islands, which she kept as a shelter for her 
fishermen. 

Lizzie. — Then after 1763 England owned Canada 
and all the country east of the Mississippi. 

Will. — Quite a big slice for the king to add to 
his land in America ! 



Washington's boyhood. ll\) 



XIX. 

WASHINGTON'S BOYHOOD. 

Will. — Are you not going to tell us a story 
about Washington ? 

Lizzie. — We did hear about him, in the taking 
of Fort Du Quesne. 

Will. — Yes ; but I want to know about him when 
he was a little boy, and afterwards too. 

Mother. — There is not much to be told about 
him, except as he was working with and for his 
country ; for he went into public service at nine- 
teen. But I will tell you the story. 

Washington was born in Virginia in 1732 — 

Will. — Then he was twenty-six years younger 
than Franklin, for he was born in 1706. 

Mother. — His father died when he was eleven, 
leaving quite a large property to the mother, who 
was to have the management of it till the five chil- 
dren came of age, when it was to be divided be- 
tween them. 

Will. — Then Washington didn't have to work 
for a living. 



180 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — You are mistaken. The mother was 
a very wise and energetic woman ; and she taught 
the children to be prudent, economical, and indus- 
trious, as she was herself. There were very few 
schools at the south at that time ; so Washington 
had not the means of getting such a good education 
as most boys can to-day. His book-learning did not 
go beyond reading, writing, arithmetic, book-keep- 
ing, and surveying. 

Lizzie. — If he went into the army so young, of 
course he couldn't study much by himself, as Frank- 
lin did. 

Mother. — No ; but whatever he undertook was 
done thoroughly ; and some of his school-books show 
to-day how carefully he wrote, and with what exact- 
ness he kept his accounts. He was fond of the 
study of surveying; and he took great pleasure in 
making and drawing plans, which he did in the neat- 
est manner. He enjoyed out-door sports, and took 
every sort of exercise that would increase his 
strength. Once, it is said, he threw a stone across 
the Rappahannock opposite his father's house ; and 
no one else was ever known to do it. One of his 
fiavorite- amusements was playing soldier; and as he 
seemed to know much more about it than the other 
boys, they always made him captain. 

He was very fond of horses ; and one day, mount- 



Washington's boyhood. 181 

ing a fierce animal that had never been ridden be- 
fore, undertook to tame him. The horse was a 
valuable one, belonging to his mother. Washings 
ton nearly broke his own neck ; but he did not give 
up. Finally the proud animal burst a blood-vessel^ 
and fell dead beneath his young rider. 

Will. — I guess the mother would rather some 
one else should tame her horses after that. 

Mother. ^ She was very sorry to lose so valuable 
a horse ; but she forgot her loss in the pleasure she 
felt at having her son come to her at once, and 
frankly tell her what had happened. 

Love of truth was one of Washington's earliest 
traits of character ; and there was not a boy among 
his school-mates who didn't believe that if he said 
a thing he meant it, or, if he made a promise, he 
would keep it. 

Will. — I remember a story about Washington, 
when he was a little boy. Some one made him a 
present of a new hatchet. He wanted to see how 
it would cut, so he went and hacked one of his fa- 
ther's cherr}^ trees. When his father came into the 
orchard, and saw the bark all hacked up, he said, 
'' Who has cut my cherry tree that I thought so 
much of? " Washington went right up to him and 
said, " Father, I can't tell a lie ; I cut it with my 
hatchet." 



182 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie. — Wasn't that noble ? 

Mother. — Washington's oldest brother, Lau- 
rence, was a captain in the English navy. When at 
home, he told stories of his adventures, which so 
excited George that he was seized with a longing 
to enter the navy and go to sea. His brother en- 
couraged this ; and finally his mother very reluc- 
tantly gave her consent. A situation was procured 
for him, and his clothes were packed and sent on 
board the ship ; but at the last moment the mother 
felt that he must not go, and she begged him to 
give up all thought of it. Washington dearly loved 
his mother, and the thought of giving her pain 
was harder to bear than to give up his longing 
for the sea. He yielded to her wishes, and staid 
at home. 

Will. — Lucky he didn't go ! What would the 
countr}^ have done without him? 

Mothf:r. — When he was sixteen, an English 
nobleman, who owned immense tracts of land in 
America, was visiting at a neighboring mansion ; 
he became much interested in Washington, and 
employed him to survey his lands. This occupied 
Washington for over three years, and was a great 
advantage to him in many ways. Not only did 
he receive handsome pay, but he became thor- 



Washington's boyhood. 183 

oughly acquainted with the country that Braddock's 
army afterwards had to pass through. 

Lizzie. — Then that was the reason he was of so 
much help to General Braddock. 

Will. — He must have had a rough time, out in 
that wild country. 

Mother. — Yes, indeed ; but he loved to meet 
hardships ; and it was probably the best training he 
could possibly have had, to fit him for the soldier's 
life he was afterwards to lead. 

Will. — I can see now why the Virginia govern- 
ment should choose him to carry the message to 
the French officers on the Ohio : he knew the way, 
and must have been acquainted with the Indians. 

Lizzie. — And the governor knew that whatever 
he set out to do, he did welL 

Mother. — We have now reached the time in his 
life when he was appointed colonel under General 
Braddock. After this there is little to tell which 
you will not hear as I go on with the Story of our 
Country. 

Lizzie. — Was he ever married ? 

Mother. — Yes ; when he was twenty-seven he 
married a beautiful and accomplished young widow, 
who had two interesting children. When he was 
not in public service, he lived quietly with his fam- 



184 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

ily at his beautiful home on the Potomac, known as 
Mount Vernon. He was fond of agriculture, and 
did much to beautify and enrich his lands. 

Washington loved little children ; and in his later 
years adopted two of his wife's grandchildren, on 
the death of their father. 



ANGEE AT THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 185 



XX. 

ANGER AT THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 

Will. — Whenever mother tells ns about a great 
man, I expect to hear about troubles and wars. 

Lizzie. — I don't see how there could be any such 
things now. Mother said they liad no more Indian 
wars at this time, and no more quarrels with the 
French. 

Mother. — The next vexation came from the king 
himself — George III. 

Lizzie. — What ! when all the colonies belonged 
to him ! 

Will. — When John Smith and the other James- 
town settlers first came over, they had a great 
bother because James II. was afraid they would 
forget they all belonged to him. And I can see 
how this king might annoy the colonies in the same 
way, if he chose to. 

Mother. — You have got at a part of the truth. 
While the settlements remained small, England 
took little notice of them ; but when they grew 
so that each had a trade of its own, the English 



186 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

government began to be jealous, and said, '' The 
colonies go on choosing their own governors and 
increasing their trade, as if they had forgotten they 
belonged to us." 

Will. — But they had charters from the king, 
which gave them a right to govern themselves. 

Mother. — After a while these charters were 
taken away, and the king appointed the governors. 

Will. — I shouldn't think the colonies would 
have liked that very well. 

Mother. — Connecticut never gave up her char- 
ter. Sir Edmund Andros, who had been appointed 
governor of New England and New York, went into 
the assembly at Hartford, and said, " This meeting 
is not lawful. / am governor of Connecticut ; and 
in the king's name I demand the charter of this 
colony." 

The charter lay upon the table. Suddenly the 
members of the assembly put out all the lights ; and 
one of their number quickly carried out the charter, 
and hid it in the hollow of a large oak. 

Will. — Good ! I wish all the assemblies had 
done so. 

Mother. — The next vexation to the colonies came 
soon after the close of the French and Indian war. 

Will. — Which was in 1763. 

Mother. — England owed a great deal of money 



ANGER AT THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 187 

oij account of this war ; and she said, '^ This war 
was partly for tlie sake of the colonies, and they 
ought to help us pay off our great debt." 

Will. — I don't believe England cared so much 
to help the colonies as to whip France. Besides, I 
should like to know if the colonies hadn't done their 
part already. They had sent their men to war ; and 
didn't that cost something? 

Lizzie. — They had all the fighting near their own 
homes. 

Mother. — They had suffered much through the 
war, and they, as well as England, owed a great 
deal of money on account of it. 

Will. — Then I hope they didn't help England 
pay off her debt. 

Mother. ■ — The way the king intended to get 
money from them was by making them pay for the 
privilege of receiving goods from the English mar- 
kets. We call such money " duties." The king 
sent over officers to search the ships coming into 
port, lest the people should receive goods without 
paying not alone what they were worth, but the 
duties also. 

When the people heard of this, they were sur- 
prised and vexed. They said, " Do not the colonies 
belong to the king ? And shall a man pay for eat- 
ing bread in liis own house ? We will have no more 



188 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

goods from England ! We will spin and weave for 
ourselves ! And we will eat no more mutton, for 
fear we shall not have wool enough for our winter 
clothes ! " 

Will. — I am glad the colonists were so spunky ! 
Served the king right ! 

Mother. — Then came another grievance, still 
worse. The colonists had been very industrious ; 
factories had sprung up along the rivers ; and in 
man}' of the little towns the busy hum of labor 
could be heard. Every year were made quantities 
of linen and woollen cloths, hats, paper, shoes, fur- 
niture, and farming tools. 

England said, " This manufacturing by the colo- 
nists is hurting our trade. They must stop their 
factories, and buy of us." 

And for fear they would go on making things for 
themselves, England said, " The Americans shall 
pay us duties on all goods carried from one colony 
to another." 

Will. — 0, how angry that makes me ! 

Mother. — The next vexation they had to bear 
came through the Stamp Act. 

Lizzie. — What was that? 

Mother. — No American could buy a newspaper 
unless it had a stamp on it. And stamps must be 
bought for all paper used in business. These stamps 



ANGER AT THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 189 

cost more or less, according to the business they 
were used in ; and often one had to pay a large sum 
for them. The money paid was all to go to Eng- 
land. 

Will. — The colonists wouldn't stand that, I 
am sure. 

Mother. — When the news first reached America, 
the people were again very indignant. " Does 
England want to make slaves of us?" they asked. 
" Shall we give up all our rights as Englishmen ? 
Never ! " p 

There was a young lawyer in Boston, named 
James Otis, who was a very fine speaker. And 
when the people met to talk about the Stamp Act, 
he spoke so grandly and fearlessly tliat all Boston 
was on fire with indignation at the injustice ; and 
they said, ^' We will never be taxed by England ! 
We will not buy a stamp ! " 

After this, Otis and some other noted men sent 
letters to the different colonies, begging them never 
to submit to taxation. This was hardly necessary, 
for they were all angry at England. 

In Virginia another e/oquent man named Patrick 
Henry roused the people in the same way. 

Some of Otis's writings went over to England ; 
and the king said, " The man is mad ! Do not the 
colonies belong to us ? Have we hot a right to do 
by them as we choose ? " 



190 THE STOKY OF OUR COUNTRi^ 

In the mean time the principal men of this 
country got together, and agreed to be united by 
one thought — not to be imposed upon by England. 
They sent a petition to the king, asking that he 
would not require them to obey the Stamp Act. 
They also asked him if a few men might go to par- 
liament to speak for the interest of the colonies. 
They had a right to expect this ; for parliament is 
made up of men from the different parts of England, 
each one to speak for the town or county to which 
he belongs. 

Will. — Then of course they ought to have had 
men from the colonies in parliament. 

Mother. — The king took no notice of the peti- 
tion ; and the 1st of November came, the day when 
the stamps were first to be used. It was set aside 
as a day of mourning. The bells were muffled and 
tolled. The flags were at half-mast. The stamp 
officers were insulted, and their property destroyed. 
In Boston, a stuffed image of the principal stamp 
officer was hung by the neck on an elm tree. 

For a few days all business which required stamps 
was stopped. But soon the people concluded to 
take no notice of the new law, and went on trading 
as before. 

Will. — I suppose the king . didn't like that. 

Mother. — No ; he was more determined than 
ever to oppress the colonies. 



ANGER AT THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 191 

Lizzie. — Franklin helped the Americans before ; 
couldn't he do something for them now? 

Mother. — He was in England at this time. He 
had been chosen by our people to speak of the 
wrongs they were suffering. 

The Stamp Act was displeasing to many in Eng- 
land, as well as in America. The manufacturers 
and tradesmen were sending in petitions to have 
it repealed, because they were suffering from the 
loss of American trade. There was a great talk in 
parliament as to whether the act ought to be set 
aside or not. 

Franklin was better known and more highly 
thought of at that time than any other American. 
Parliament sent for him. And before a crowded 
house of eager listeners, he was asked all kinds of 
questions about the colonies. His clear and ready 
answers, and his description of affairs in this 
country, had great influence. What he said was 
thought so important that it was translated into 
French, and was soon read by all Europe. 

Lizzie. — Then didn't parliament take back the 
Stamp Act? 

Mother. — Yes; but I think that even Franklin 
would not have been able to bring this about, if 
there bad not been one man in parliament who was 
a friend to the common people everywhere. On 



192 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

that account he was sometimes called the Great 
Commoner. You heard of him during the French 
and Indian war. 

Will. — Do you mean William Pitt ? 

Mother. — Yes. Pitt was a very eloquent speak- 
er, and he pleaded hard for the Americans. Among 
other things, he said : '•' The colonists ought not to 
be taxed without their consent. They ought not to 
be taxed, unless parliament is willing to have some 
of their chosen men among its members. The 
Stamp Act is a Avicked law, and I am glad the col- 
onies did not obey it." 

Lizzie. — Why wouldn't they have Americans in 
parliament ? 

Mother. — Franklin said, it was because the 
English aristocracy, or rich people, felt above the 
colonists. At any rate, the rich folks didn't like 
Pitt's speeches, and the poor folks did. 

Finally, as I said, the Stamp Act was done away 
with. The neAvs was joyfully received in America, 
and great honor was given to the name of Pitt. 

Lizzie. — And not to Franklin ? 

Mother. — Yes, and to Franklin. 



STIREING TIMES IN BOSTON. 193 



XXI. 

STIRRING TIMES IN BOSTON. 

Mother. — The joy felt by the Americans when 
the Stamp Act was repealed did not last long. The 
king was more afraid than ever that the colonies 
would not show proper obedience to his laws. So 
he sent over a large body of soldiers, under Gen- 
eral Gage, to keep the people in awe. Orders also, 
came that these troops were to be housed and fed 
by the colonists themselves. 

Will. — I guess people didn't relish that ! 

Mother. — New York and Massachusetts refused 
to care for the troops. Upon this, the Massachu- 
setts governor, who had been appointed by the 
king, opened the State House for the soldiers ; and 
large numbers of them were in tents on Boston 
Common. 

These English soldiers were very insulting to the 
citizens, who became more and more alarmed for 
their rights. Even the children found reason to 
complain. 

13 



194 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Lizzie. —I should think they would liave liked to 
see the soldiers inarching about. 

Mother. — At first they did ; for the soldiers had 
bright red coats, and made a very gay appearance. 




Boston Boys standing up for their Rights. 



But after a while the Boston boys became much 
vexed at the red-coats, because they would trample 
down their forts of snow which they had built on 



STIERING TIMES IN BOSTON. 195 

the Common. They asked the soldiers, " What's 
the use of spoiling our fun?" But the red-coats 
answered, " Help yourselves if you can, you young 
rebels ! " 

Then the boys complained to the captain, but 
only got laughed at. Finally the little company 
marched to General Gage himself. 

" Who taught you rebellion, and sent you here to 
show it ? " said he. 

" No one sent us," said the boys. " We have 
come to complain of your troops. This is the third 
time they have spoiled our forts and broken our 
skating-ice, and we will bear it no longer ! " 

" Liberty is in the very air, and the boys breathe 
it ! " said General Gage aside to one of his officers. 
Then to the young soldiers he said, " Go, my brave 
boys ! and take my word for it, if my troops ever 
trouble you again, they shall be punished." 

Shortly afterwards a most serious trouble arose 
through these same British troops, called the Bos- 
ton Massacre. 

Lizzie. — Massacre ? That means killing people 
— doesn't it ? 

Mother. — Yes. One moonlight night, a party 
of wild young men came down one of the Bostor 
streets. As they drew near the English sentinel 
who was pacing to and fro in front of the custom- 



196 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

house, he halted, pointed his bayonet towards their 
breasts, and said in a gruff voice, " Who goes 
there ? " 

The young Bostonians felt they had a right to 
walk in their own streets, without being stopped by 
a British red-coat ; so they made a rude reply. This 
provoked the sentinel, and a quarrel began. Other 
soldiers, who were in the barracks near by, heard 
the noise and ran out to assist their comrade. 

By this time, a good many Bostonians rushed out 
to see what the fuss was all about. The crowd, 
which was fast becoming larger, saw that there was 
a dispute between the British soldiers and the citi- 
zens. This was enough to stir them up. They re- 
membered how often the British troops had insulted 
them, and how patiently they had borne it. Now 
they were threatening the lives of Massachusetts 
men. This was past endurance ; and they took up 
snow and lumps of ice and pelted the red-coats. 
Of course this made the soldiers still more angry. 

The noise now reached the ears of the captain. 
He ordered a squad of soldiers to take their muskets 
and follow him. They marched through the crowd, 
roughly pushing people aside, till they reached the 
sentinel's post. Here the captain drew them up in 
a semicircle, facing the crowd. When the people 
saw this, their rage was almost beyond bounds. 



STIRRING TIMES IN BOSTON. 197 

" Fire, you lobster-backs ! " yelled some. 

" You dare not fire, you cowardly red-coats 1 " 
cried others. 

Upon this, the eyes of the soldiers glared upon 
the people like hungry blood-hounds. The captain 
waved his sword. The red-coats pointed their guns 
at the crowd. In a moment the flash of their mus- 
kets lighted up the street ; and eleven New England 
men fell bleeding upon the snow : three were dead, 
and eight wounded. 

Lizzie. — Eleven New England men I 

Will. — The colonists were not any more ready 
to love George III. after that. 

Mother. — People throughout the country never 
forgot that day. A spark was kindled in the hearts 
of Americans that afterwards grew into a mighty fire. 

Not long after the Stamp Act was repealed, the 
king said, " It will not do to take away every tax on 
goods sent to America. That will be yielding too 
much. But we will require them to pay a small 
amount only, say a few cents on each pound of 
tea. Surely they will not refuse to pay that ! " 

Lizzie. — I shouldn't think they would have 
minded just a few cents. 

Will. — But, don't you see ? The colonists 
wouldn't pay any taxes, unless they could send 
men to parliament. 



198 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie. — Then the tea tax would make another 
stir. 

Mother. — When the news reached the colonies, 
every true-hearted American declared he wouldn't 
touch a cup of tea till the tax was taken off. 

A large quantity of tea was shipped to South 
Carolina. The citizens allowed it to be landed, but 
quietly stored it in damp cellars, where it soon 
spoiled. 

The vessels which brought tea to New York and 
Philadelphia were compelled to take their cargoes 
back to England. 

Three ships came to Boston laden with tea, which 
the governor said must be landed. The citizens 
held indignation meetings in Faneuil Hall. A very 
daring man, who dearly loved his country, and was 
ready to die for her, took the lead in these meetings. 
flis name was Samuel Adams. The English hated 
him, because he stirred up the people to a love of 
liberty. 

During one of these meetings, a petition was sent 
to the governor, asking permission to have the tea 
carried back to England. The answer came to the 
waiting crowd that the tea must be landed. Then 
Samuel Adams rose and said, " This meeting can do 
nothing more to save the country."' 

Instantly a war-whoop was heard at the entrance 



STIRRING TIMES IN BOSTON. 199 

of the hall ; and a party of fifty men, disguised as 
Indians, rushed down to the wharf, jumped on board 
the ships, and threw every chest of tea overboard. 

Will and Lizzie. — Hurrah for Boston ! 

Mother, — This was in 1773 ; and it was called 
^'The Boston Tea Party." 



200 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XXII. 

THE QUARREL INCREASES. — FIGHTING BEGINS. 

Mother. — When the news of these events reached 
England, the king said, '^ Boston shall be punished 
for this ; " and an order was given forbidding any 
ship to go to Boston, even from American ports. 

Will. — Then how could the people get what 
they needed? 

Mother. — The ships were to go to Salem. But 
the Salem people would not take advantage of the 
Boston Port Bill, as it was called. They freely 
invited the Boston merchants to come there and use 
their wharves. 

Parliament knew that Massachusetts would rebel ; 
for the people of Boston suffered greatly from this 
sudden losing of their trade. So four thousand 
more soldiers were sent to Massachusetts, and Gen- 
eral Gage, commander of the British troops in 
America, was appointed governor of the colony. 

Will. — If Massachusetts couldn't help herself, 
the other colonies would do something for her, I 
know. 



THE QUARREL INCREASES. 201 

Mother. — They sent a great many gifts to Mas- 
sachusetts. The southern colonies sent flour and 
rice ; the middle colonies, corn and iron ; and many 
towns sent money. 

Lizzie. — England didn't expect the Boston folks 
would be helped in that way, I am thinking. 

Mother. — The British government thought the 
Boston Port Bill would frighten the colonies into 
obedience. But Massachusetts, too indignant to be 
afraid, resolved that there should be a meeting of 
the principal men of the colonies to see what could 
be done to protect themselves against the increasing 
insults of the mother- country. 

Will. — As the governors of the different colo- 
nies were chosen by the king, I can see that they 
would not like such a meeting as that. 

Mother. — They did not. But the people were 
not hindered in their plan ; and a meeting was held 
in Philadelphia, called the First Continental Con- 
gress. At this congress it was decided that the 
whole country should help Massachusetts get her 
rights. They also resolved to send one more peti- 
tion to the king. 

In the mean time the people of Masachusetts had 
a meeting, at which John Hancock presided, 

Lizzie. — John Hancock — who was he ? 

Mother. — He was a wealthy Boston merchant. 



202 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 

who dared to say or do anything for the good of his 
country. 

At this meeting it was decided to call upon the 
citizens to form themselves into military companies, 
who would be ready to take up arms at a minute's 
warning. On this account they were called Minute- 
men. 

Soon all the other colonies got ready to defend 
themselves in the same way. 

Lizzie, — Didn't the king treat them any better 
after he got the petition from the people? 

Mother. — C4eorge III, was stubborn ; and the 
more unwilling the colonists were to obey cruel 
laws, the more determined he was to take all privi- 
leges from them. 

The next thing he did was to forbid any New 
Englanders fishing off the coast of Newfoundland, 

Will. — I don't see what there was left for the 
colonists to do, but to starve, or fight for their 
rights. Of course, after they had worked so hard, 
clearing the forests and fighting the Indians, to get 
decent homes for themselves, they wouldn't give up 
everything, to be worse off than they were before 
they came over. 

Mother. — They didn't really think of war at this 
time. They only wanted to get their rights, and 
not be imposed upon by England. 



THE QUARREL INCREASES. 203 

Will. — I shouldn't think General Gage would 
have liked their raising companies of soldiers. 

Mother. — He did not ; and he determined to de- 
stroy their military stores, if they should have any. 

The colonists suspected this. They had a quan- 
tity of powder, muskets, &c., at Concord, about six- 
teen miles from Boston. As it was feared that 
General Gage might find it out, there was an under- 
standing that certain citizens should watch the 
enemy's movements. If at any time English troops 
should march from Boston, there was to be a signal 
given from the belfry of the old North Church. 

One night, in April, 1775, a thrill of alarm filled 
a little band of patriots in Charlestown, as they saw 
a light appear in the belfry. Paul Revere, who had 
been chosen to carry the news to Concord, quickly 
mounted a horse ; with almost lightning speed he 
galloped to Medford. Here he stopped at a house 
where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were 
sleeping. 

" Don't make so much noise ! " said a man on 
guard before the house. 

" Noise ! " said Paul Revere. " You'll have noise 
enough before long ! The red-coats are on tlieir 
way to Concord ! " And away he flew, giving the 
alarm at the house of every sleeping farmer till he 
reached Concord. 



204 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will, — I am sure there wasn't much more sleep- 
ing that night. 

Mother. — As soon as the Concord people were 
roused, they began moving the militarj' stores into 
the woods. In the mean time, eight hundred Brit- 
ish troops, under command of Major Pitcairn, were 
on the road. They had hoped to quietly get pos- 
session of the stores before morning. But as they 
passed along, and heard the ringing of bells, and 
saw the hurrying to and fro of the people, they 
knew that their plans had been found out. So they 
sent back for more troops. 

Major Pitcairn reached Lexington, a town east of 
Concord, at four o'clock in the morning. Here he 
found seventy minute-men in arms, collected on the 
green. 

" You villains ! you rebels ! '' cried he ; " disperse ! 
Wliy don't you lay down your arms and disperse ? " 

Then the British soldiers fired, and eighteen of 
the seventy Lexington men were killed or wounded. 
Then the red-coats, giving three " hurrahs," marched 
on towards Concord. 

Lizzie. — 0, that was too bad ! 

Will. — What else could the Concord soldiers 
expect, when there were nearly a thousand British ? 

Mother. — On that same morning, — April 19, 
1775, — about four hundred and fifty minute-men 



FIGHTING BEGINS. 205 

fiad assembled on a hill overlooking Concord. From 
this point they could see the English destroying 
their military stores and provisions. They saw 
them cut down the liberty-pole and set the court- 
house on fire. 

Will. — 0, how the Concord men must have 
longed to let their bullets fly ! 

Mother. — They knew it was useless to attack 
so much larger numbers in an open fight. 

A portion of the English were guarding a bridge 
at the entrance of the town. The minute-men 
marched down from the hill, and fired upon these 
red-coats, who fled in great confusion, having one 
man killed and several wounded. 

When the English had destroyed all the military 
stores they could find, they set out to return to 
Boston, carrying their wounded. But they were 
not to go back as easily as they came. 

Will. — I guess they wouldn't if I had been a 
minute-man ! 

Mother. — The whole country around was roused, 
and men came hurrying from all directions. They 
were generally in their shirt-sleeves, but they had 
guns in their hands and powder in their flasks. 
Scarcely a tree or a wall did the English pass that 
did not shelter minute-men. Sometimes there were 
companies, sometimes only single farmers. The 



206 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



English afterwards said, " It seemed as if men 
dropped from the clouds," 

Every mile the British made in their march back, 
the fewer men did they have. At last their ammu- 




Betreat of the British from Concord. 

nition was nearly gone, and they began to run in 
great disorder. 

Will. — Brave English troops ! Raw country 
militia ! 

Mother. — Before long, more troops from Boston 



FIGHTING BEGINS. 207 

came to their aid. These troops formed a hollow 
square, into which the tired rimaways ran, and 
threw themselves down on the ground for rest, their 
tongues hanging out of their mouths, like hunt- 
ed dogs. 

During the rest of their march they were con- 
stantly fired upon, so that they were glad to get back 
to Boston, under the protection of General Gage. 

If the English had not been re-enforced, they 
would have had to surrender. As it was, they lost 
two hundred and seventy -three men; while the 
Americans lost only eighty-eight. 

Will. — I wonder what George III. said to that ! 

Mother. — England was greatly astonished to 
hear that the regulars, as the king's troops were 
called, had retreated or run away from American 
farmers. 

Lizzie, — I guess the other colonies were sur- 
prised when they heard of it too. 

Mother. — It caused a great excitement all over 
the country. 

When Samuel Adams heard the guns at Lexing- 
ton, he exclaimed, " What a glorious morning is 
this ! " 

Lizzie. — Glorious ? 

Mother. — He knew that the time had come when 
men were to fight for their freedom. 



208 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — And I suppose he knew they could not 
get it in any other way. 

Mother, — It seemed to be all that was left for 
Americans to do ; for when George III. heard how 
affairs were going on, he immediately sent over 
another large body of troops, under three famous 
generals, named Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne : so 
that there were now ten thousand soldiers in 
Boston. 

In the meantime, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, 
and other leading men had aroused more Americans 
to enlist as soldiers, in case they should be attacked 
by the English; and before the end of April, fifteen 
thousand men had gathered about Boston. 

Will. — I suppose they didn't know much about 
war. 

Mother. — No ; and they had very few cannon 
and muskets, and only a little powder. 

Lizzie. — I hope the English didn't know this. 

Will. — If they knew there were fifteen thousand 
men around Boston, who were ready to fight, I don't 
believe they were in a hurry to get outside of the 
city. They remembered too well the run from 
Concord. 

Mother. — General Gage began to get ready for 
war. The king, George III., had told him to offer 
pardon to any who would leave the American side 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 209 

and join the English. But there were two men 
who were not to be pardoned, but were to be hanged 
if caught. 

Will. — I think I know who they were — Sam 
Adams and John Hancock. But that shows what 
true patriots they were. 
14 



210 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XXIII. 

THE REVOLUTIONAY WAR. 

Mother. — Boston is partly enclosed by two 
ranges of highlands — Dorchester Heights on the 
south, and Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill on the 
north-west. These two hills are in Charlestown. 
Both parties were anxious to get possession of these 
ranges. 

Will. — Yes; for the army that was on the hills 
could keep the other army out of Boston. 

Mother. — The Americans found out that General 
Gage was getting ready to move a part of his troops 
on to the heights in Charlestown; so one night 
Colonel Prescott was sent with about a thousand 
men, to throw up banks of earth on Bunker Hill. 

Lizzie. — I don't see what that was for. 

Mother. — In case the British tried to take the 
hill, the Americans could hide behind this earth 
fort, and protect themselves from the attacks of the 
enemy. 

Prescott's soldiers worked so quietly that the 
English knew nothing of what was going on till the 
next morning, when they saw the earth fort. Then 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 211 

General Gage watched the Americans through a 
telescope, and decided it was best to commence 
battle at once. He ordered a firing of cannon from 
Copp's Hill in Boston and from the ships of war in 
the harbor. The Americans went on with their 
work, and cared little for the firing. They lost by 
it only one man. 

It was the morning of the 17th of June, 1775. 
General Gage sent four thousand soldiers to Charles- 
town in boats. The weather was very hot ; and the 
English troops carried knapsacks on their backs 
weighing over a hundred pounds each. In the 
meantime the dreadful news of the coming battle 
was spread, and every roof in Boston and Charles- 
town was crowded with people anxiously watching 
the two sides. 

Colonel Prescott and General Putnam were mov- 
ing about among their soldiers, giving orders and 
speaking words of cheer, when a handsome young 
man on horseback came galloping up and said, " I 
come to aid as a volunteer. Tell me where I can 
be most useful." 

This was General Warren, a physician of Boston, 
a true patriot, who had given a large part of his 
time to serving his country since the troubles with 
England began. 

General Putnam exclaimed, " Is it you, General 



212 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Wavren ? I am glad and sorry to see you ! Your 
life is too precious to be exposed in this battle. 
But since you are here, go to the fort; you will 
there be covered." 

"I came not to be covered," replied General War- 
ren. '' Tell me where the battle will be hottest." 

" The enemy will try to take the fort," said Gen- 
eral Putnam. '^ If that can be defended, the day is 
ours." 

General Warren rode along to the fort. The 
troops recognized him, and welcomed him with 
three cheers, for he was much beloved. 

Will. — You said there were four thousand 
British soldiers. Were there only a thousand 
Americans to fight them? 

Mother. — Others had joined them, so that there 
were now between two and three thousand. But 
they were not nearly so well prepared for battle as 
the English. They were without food and water, 
and had very little ammunition — by that I mean 
powder and balls. But they had the pure fire of 
patriotism in their hearts. 

After a while the English troops began to move 
slowly up the hill, dragging their cannons after 
them. The American drums beat to arms. Put- 
nam, who was still at work on the fort, led his men 
into action. " Keep still ! " said he. '' Dou't fire 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 213 

till you see the whites of their eyes ; then aim at 
the officers." 

The British troops were now only eight rods off. 
" Now, men ! now is your time ! " said Prescott, 
" Make ready ! Take aim ! Fire! " 

The smoke cleared away : the whole hill-side be- 
low the fort was covered with the dead ; and the re- 
maining English troops were running down the hill. 

Will. — Hurrah for victory ! 

Mother. — Victory had not come yet. After the 
first attack there was a pause in the battle. It Avas 
only the lull that comes before the thunder-bolt. 
Charlestown was in flames, by order of the British 
general. 

Lizzie. — How wicked ! 

Mother. — Soon the British troops again ascend- 
ed the hill. Again they were driven back. Victory 
for the Americans seemed almost certain. Putnam 
rode along the line, shouting, '' Drive back the red- 
coats once more, boys, and the day is ours ! " 

The English soldiers were very unwilling to ad- 
vance again ; but their officers made still greater 
preparations for the third attack. More troops 
came over from Boston, and they were ordered to 
leave their knapsacks behind. General Howe had 
so arranged liis cannon that they would sweep 
along the whole line of the Americans. 



214 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — And our men hadn't any cannon. 

Mother. — Scarcely any ; and now their powder 
and balls were almost gone. There was hardly 
enough for one more round of firing. And when 
the third attack from the English came, there was 
nothing to be done but to fire once and then fall 
back. 

Lizzie. — Too bad ! 

Mother. — In the retreat they lost far more than 
in the battle. The English finally won the day ; but 
they dearly bought it. They had lost over a thou- 
sand men ; the Americans not half as many. But 
among the Americans the bravest of the brave had 
fallen — the beloved General Warren. When Gen- 
eral Howe heard this, he said, " Warren's death is 
equal to the loss of five hundred men to the Ameri- 
cans." 

Lizzie. — So the Americans got beaten at the 
battle of Bunker Hill, after all. 

Will. — Not so badly as might be. I don't see 
how they got along as well as they did — a lot of 
farmers fighting the king's regulars, who had spent 
their lives in training for war. 

Mother. — If this battle was a loss to the 
Americans in one way, it was a great gain in 
another. It gave them confidence in themselves, 
and showed them that the king's troops were not 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 215 

SO ranch to be feared after all. They also learned 
that the English were determined to oppose them ; 
and they found out for sure that if they would 
regain the liberties which had been taken from 
them, they must fight. 

When Washington first heard of the battle, he 
only asked, " Did our men stand fire? " Being told 
that they did, and that they waited till the enemy 
was only eight rods off, he said, " The liberties of 
the country are safe ! " 

Will. — I should think the battle would have 
taught the Americans to bo better prepared for war. 

Mother. — Congress took the matter in hand, 
and voted that a larger army should be raised, con- 
sisting of men from all the colonies. Washington 
was chosen commander-in-chief. 

Will. — That means, I suppose, he was put at 
the head of the army. 

Mother. — He left Virginia, and arrived at Cam- 
bridge, near Boston, in July, 1775, and was met 
everywhere with cheers of welcome. Soon after 
his arrival, Washington, standing under a large elm- 
tree at Cambridge, in the name of the thirteen col- 
onies took command of the army. He was then 
forty-three years old, tall, broad-chested, and fine- 
looking. He was a commander that any army in 
the world might well be proud of. 



216 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — He must have thought he had come to 
a queer-looking set, if they didn't look any better 
than they did at Concord or Bunker Hill. 

Mother. — Few of the seventeen thousand men 
whom Washington found waiting for him had any 
uniform. They had come in their old coats or in 
their shirt-sleeves. Their muskets were mostly 
such as they had used in shooting game around 
their homes ; hardly two were alike. But Wash- 
ington thought of something more than outward 
appearances. He looked into the faces of these 
rugged men, and read there p, daring and determi- 
nation which gave him hope and courage. 

The first thing he did was to try to bring the 
army into habits of neatness and regularity. The 
men had no idea of military discipline, and came and 
went as they chose. Their friends from the country 
were constantly visiting them, sometimes to bring 
clothing and eatables, oftener from curiosity. Wash- 
ington at once set the men to work. At first this 
was difficult, and many of the men complained at 
the new order of things ; but their commander's 
kindness of heart soon made him loved by all. 

Washington's greatest cause of anxiety was that 
they had so little ammunition. He at once wrote to 
Congress : '* Our scarcity of powder is much more 
alarming than I had the faintest idea of." 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 217 

Lizzie. — They couldn't fight any battles right 
away, then — could they ? 

Mother. — No. Washington knew of the suffer- 
ing of man}'- patriots in Boston. Between six and 
seven thousand people were shut up there by the 
English troops. They had little to eat, and could 
get no word to or from their friends outside. Wash- 
ington's plan was to drive the English out of Boston, 
and relieve these suffering ones. Scarcity of powder 
forced him to remain quiet many months ; but dur- 
ing the next year the army was sufficiently supplied 
with ammunition to make him feel that he might 
venture an attack on Boston. 

So, in March, 1776 — 

Will. — That was nine months after the battle 
of Bunker Hill — 

Mother. — Washington formed a plan for getting 
his troops on to Dorchester Heights, which you re- 
member is a line of hills on the south of Boston. 

Will. — Wasn't General Gage on the lookout for 
this ? 

Mother. — General Gage had been recalled to 
England after the battle of Bunker Hill ; and Gen- 
eral Howe was in his place. Washington wished 
to get on to the heights without General Howe's 
knowing it. In order to do this, he ordered can- 
nons to be fired into the town from the hills around. 



218 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie. — How the Boston people must have felt 
to see the cannon-balls coming ! 

Mother. — The English at once commenced firing 
in return, so that for two or three days there was 
a great noise. 

Will. — That would give the Americans a good 
chance to move without being seen, because the 
smoke from the cannons would make the air so 
thick. 

Mother. — On the morning of the 5th of March, 
the British saw with astonishment the forts which 
had sprung up as if by magic on Dorchester Heights. 
General Howe knew that he must then do one of 
two things — drive the American farmers from the 
heights, or leave the town. 

" If they stay there, I cannot keep a ship in the 
harbor," said he. 

Finally, he concluded to make an attack on the 
heights. But his men looked pale and uneasy. 

Will. — They remembered Bunker Hill, I guess. 

Mother. — They wished Boston and all New Eng- 
land at the bottom of the sea, and themselves back 
in England. When the troops on Dorchester Heights 
saw the English get into boats and come to attack 
them, their hearts kindled with joy, for they felt 
sure they should be victorious. 

By Washington's orders they had collected on 



THE REVOLUTIONAEY WAR. 219 

top of the heights a large number of barrels filled 
with earth and stones. These were hidden from 
view by quantities of hay. The hills were steep 
and bare, and these heavy barrels were to be rolled 
down on the enemy, in case they tried to scale the 
heights. But the farmer-soldiers were disappointed. 
A violent rain-storm arose, which threw the line of 
boats into great disorder, and spoiled the ammuni- 
tion of the English, so that they were compelled to 
give up all idea of making an attack. Howe then 
decided to leave Boston at once. 

Washington sent word that he would not trouble 
the departing troops if they would leave the town 
without injuring it. 

Lizzie. — I suppose he was afraid they might 
burn it, as they did Charlestown. 

Mother. — General Howe consented to this ar- 
rangement, and set out with his army for Hal- 
ifax. As soon as they were gone, Washington 
and his troops entered Boston, amid the shouts and 
cheers of the people. Every heart was bounding 
with joy and thankfulness toward the great com- 
mander. 

Lizzie. — I hope the red-coats stayed away now, 
and didn't trouble the colonists any more. 

Mother. — On the contrary, wlien the king heard 
of the disgrace of his troops, he said the colonists 



220 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY, 

must be whipped at any cost. And he sent more 
troops to America. 

Washington felt sure that the English would plan 
another attack soon. So, fearing that General Howe, 
on leaving Boston, might steer for New York, he 
sent a body of troops under General Putnam to 
protect that place ; and soon he himself followed 
with the rest of his army. 

We must leave Washington now for a while, and 
see what Congress is doing ; for, though Washing- 
ton was at the head of the army, he had to depend 
much on Congress for advice and help. 

I wish I had time to tell you about all the great 
and good men there were in Congress at that time. 
I suppose there was not a man who went there for 
his own gain or pleasure. They said, — 

'^ When the war began, we hoped it would soon 
be over, for we supposed that England would decide 
to treat us well. We were proud to feel that we 
belonged to Great Britain, whose government is the 
best in the world. How glad we should have been 
to love, honor, and serve her always. But the king 
himself has hindered us from doing this. Instead 
of helping us to be prosperous and happy, he has 
tried to make us slaves ! 

"There is only one thing left for us to do — say 
that we no longer belong to England, that we are 



THE EEVOLUTIONARY WAR. 221 

now free states, and that we will make our own laws, 
and take care of ourselves, and let George III. help 
himself if he can." 

This was a ver}' daring thing to do ; but the best 
and wisest men in the country thought it the only 
right course to take. 

One of the leading men of Congress — Thomas 
Jeiferson of Virginia — put something like these 
thoughts on paper. Five men, one of whom was 
Benjamin Franklin, were chosen to look over each 
line, and see if it could be made better. This paper 
was adopted by Congress on the Fourth of Jul}^, 
1776, and was called The Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. 

Lizzie. — Now I know why the Fourth of July is 
such a great day. It was Our Country's Birthday. 
Did everybody celebrate the first Fourth of July? 

Mother. — There was great rejoicing in all the 
colonies as soon as they knew what had been done. 
The army around New York was called together by 
the beating of drums, to listen to the reading of the 
Declaration of Independence. The soldiers were 
wild with enthusiasm. 

Will. — They didn't know before exactly what 
they were fighting for. Now they knew the war 
wouldn't be finished till George III. gave up that 
they were free. 



222 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Lizzie. — But I thought they were free. They 
called themselves so. 

Will. — It was cue thmg to say America was 
free, and another thing to make it so. 

Mother. — About this time Congress took another 
important step. It sent three men, one of whom 
was Franklin, to France, to see if the French would 
treat America as a free nation. 

Will. — I don't believe they would. 

Lizzie. — Why not ? 

Will. — Because, if they took sides with America, 
England would go to war against them again. 

Mother. — That is one reason why the French 
king was not yet ready to call America a free 
country. But the French people all hoped England 
would lose the colonies, and they secretly sent am- 
munition to help our army. Many French soldiers 
were sent over too. A young nobleman of twenty, 
named Lafayette, felt so much sympathy for the 
Americans that he fitted out a vessel at his own 
expense, in which he and his companions crossed 
the ocean. He then offered his services to Con- 
gress as a common soldier. 

Will. — Of course they wouldn't let him be a 
common soldier. 

Mother. — He was made a general, and soon 
became a great favorite, not only with Washington 
but with all who knew him. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 223 

Not long after the declaration of independence, 
our beautiful flag was first used. Look at the pic- 
ture and count the stripes and stars. 




Will. — There are thirteen stripes. 

Lizzie. — And thirteen stars. 

Mother. — You can guess why the number of 
each is just thirteen. 

Lizzie. — Ah, I know ! Because there were thir- 
teen colonies. 

Will. — They put more stars on the flag now. 

Mother. — Yes. Our flag still has thirteen stripes, 
in memory of the original colonies; but another star 
is added whenever a new state comes into the 
Union. 



224 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XXIV. 

THE WAR GOES ON. 

Mother. — You remember that Washington left 
Boston. 

Will. — He went to New York, because he was 
afraid General Howe would serve that city as he 
did Boston. 

Mother. — Washington placed a large number of 
his troops on Long Island, opposite New York, and 
the rest were in New York itself. 

Several more regiments of British troops were 
sent over ; so that there were now twenty thousand 
red-coats in America, besides a large fleet of war- 
vessels. 

General Howe attacked the army on Long Island, 
and defeated it. The Americans lost five times as 
many men as the English did. 

After this Washington, on a dark and foggy night, 
withdrew his troops to some heights north of New 
York, called Harlem Heights. Before long he was 
driven from there, and met the English in battle at 
White Plains, neither side gaining a victory. Then, 
learning that the English were intending to go into 



THE WAR GOES ON. 225 

New Jersey, lie crossed over into that state with 
most of his troops. 

Not long afterwards, he was again beaten by the 
enemy. 

Lizzie. — What ! good, brave Washington so often 
beaten ! I cannot understand it, 

Will. — I do. What else could be expected, 
when the British had more men, more guns, and 
more powder? 

Mother. — During the next few weeks, Washing- 
ton was driven farther and farther south, till he 
reached Trenton. There he crossed the Delaware 
to the Pennsylvania side. 

Will. — The country couldn't have felt much 
encouraged, to have the army running away so from 
the red-coats. 

Mother. — People were much disheartened, and 
Washington had great cause for anxiety. His sol- 
diers were leaving him by hundreds. And besides, 
many leading men in New Jersey and Pennsylvania 
were going over to the English. But, whatever 
Washington felt, he showed no fear or lack of hope. 
He knew, however, that some daring attack must 
soon be made. i 

Across the river in Trenton there were about a 
thousand Hessians — 

Will. — Hessians — what were those ? 
15 



226 



THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 



Mother. — They were troops that England had 
hired from Germany. Washington felt sure that on 
Christmas day they would be having a grand cele- 
bration, so that they would not watch his move- 
ments. Therefore the night of the 25th of Decem- 




Washington crossing the Delaware. 

ber, 1776, would be a good time for him to recross 
the Delaware. 

It was bitter cold. The river was rapidly freez- 
ing. The current, which at that point was very 
swift, hurled along masses of ice. The wind blew 
fiercely. Some of Washington's officers would not 



THE WAR GOES ON. 227 

join him, as they thought it would be impossible for 
him to reach the other side. 

It was twilight wheu the commander and his 
troops reached the river's edge. Only a part could 
cross at a time ; and the poor, half-fed, half-clothed 
men that lingered on the banks shivered in the 
December cold. At eleven, a blinding snow-storm 
set in. Would the little army ever reach Trenton ? 

But Washington had inspired them with the sen- 
timent, Liberty or death ! and they pushed on. At 
three o'clock in the morning, the Americans were 
all on the Jersey side. In an hour more they started 
on their silent march. It was nine miles to Trenton, 
and there were steep hills to climb. At daj^break 
they reached the little town. The Hessians slept 
late, for they had not recovered from the revelries 
of the day before. Fighting for the English, they 
thought, Avas not an unpleasant matter after all ; 
they had gay times, and the fare was good. 

But suddenly the Hessians were awakened by the 
beat of drums, and the shouts of the officers, '^ The 
Americans are upon us ! " 

The half-drunken Hessian commander tried to 
rally his men and bring them into order. Then 
they set out to make a retreat. But it was too 
late. The Americans surrounded them. The Hes- 
sian commander and forty of his men were killed. 



228 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

The rest were in terror. What could they do? 
Where should they go? 

They felt their helplessness ; and they sent word 
to Washington that they would surrender. A thou- 
sand Hessians, with their guns and cannon, fell into 
the hands of the Americans, who had lost only four 
men. 

At this good news, Washington, whose strong will 
had been strained for seventeen hours, gave way 
for the moment to his feelings. With clasped hands 
and glistening eyes, he looked up to Heaven in 
thankfulness. 

Will. — They caught the Hessians ; but did they 
get back safe to the other side ? 

Mother. — Yes, they crossed immediately ; for 
Washington felt sure that the English remaining in 
New Jersey would attack him when they heard the 
news ; and he was right. 

A large number of the regulars under Cornwallis 
marched to Trenton. 

" It will be an easy thing," said the English gen- 
eral, '' to surround Washington's army. We will 
make an attack in the morning." 

But when morning came, the American troops 
were gone, no one knew where ; and the next thing 
Cornwallis heard was that Washington had at- 
tacked Princeton, had been victorious, and that the 



THE WAR GOES ON. 229 

English had lost four times as many men as the 
Americans. 

The successes at Trenton and Princeton were 
very cheering to the people everywhere, and the 
soldiers became more hopeful. 

After the battles we have spoken of, Washington 
did not make any more attacks for several months I 
but stationed his army so that they could watch the 
EngHsh. 

Will. — And I suppose the English generals were 
planning how they could pay him off for what they 
had lost. 

Mother. — The English had already aimed a*- 
Boston and New York. Can you not guess what 
other large city they wanted ? 

Lizzie. — It must have been Philadelphia. 

Will. — Then Washington was detennined they 
shouldn't get it. 

Mother. — The armies met on the Brandy wine, 
a little river flowing into the Delaware south of 
Philadelphia. Unfortunately the Americans were 
beaten ; so that General Howe and his large army 
took possession of Philadelphia. 

Lizzie. — Too bad ! 

Mother. — What made it more trying was that 
while the king's troops were in such comfortable 
quarters, enjoying even luxuries, our soldiers were 
suffering th(3 greatest hardships. 



230 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — Where were they ? 

Mother. — At Valley Forge, about twenty miles 
from Philadelphia. Washington chose that place 
for his army to stay in during the winter, because 
he thought it could be easily defended in case of an 
attack, and because he could watch the movements 
of the enemy. 

Lizzie. — Why did the soldiers suffer ? 

Mother. — They had so few of the necessaries of 
life. Rough huts which they made themselves were 
all that protected them from the cold winter winds. 

Will. — Well, huts were all the Indians had to 
live in. 

Mother. — The Indians had plenty of blankets 
made of warm furs. These poor soldiers had no 
blankets. Their clothing was ragged and thin. 
They had no shoes ; so that their marches over the 
ice and frozen ground could be traced by the 
bloody tracks of their naked feet. Many a night 
the groups of soldiers could be seen sitting around 
their wood fires to keep warm, not daring to go to 
sleep for fear the intense cold might so benumb 
them that they would never wake. 

Think of lying on the frosty ground without even 
a blanket to cover one ! Even a heap of straw 
would have been a luxury. They often went with- 
out food ; and what they had was of the poorest 
kind. 



THE WAR GOES ON. 231 

Yet the soldiers did not complain. They all loved 
Washington ; and they knew he would have helped 
them to better fare had it been in his power. Per- 
haps he suffered more than any one else ; for his 
heart was burdened with the needs of all. But the 
keenest pain to Washington was to feel that the 
people were dissatisfied because he was not making 
any attack on the English. The people in Pennsyl- 
vania particularly kept sending petitions to Congress 
to have the enemy driven out of Philadelphia. 

Will. — I can't blame them for wanting to get 
rid of the red- coats ; but they might have known 
that Washington couldn't do much fighting when 
his men were half frozen and half starved. 

Lizzie. — I don't see how the country could get 
free if the army was so badly off. 

Mother. — Fortunately, not all the army was at 
Yalley Forge. Washington had sent a large portion 
of his men to the far north. 



232 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XXV. 

THE AMERICAN CAUSE MORE HOPEFUL. 

England had made a plan which, if it had been 
successful, would have hurt the American cause very 
much. Before I tell you about it, look at your maps 
and find the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain. 

Will. — Lake Champlain empties into the St. 
Lawrence. 

Mother. — Now tell me what fort is near the 
head of the lake. 

Lizzie. — I see — Fort Ticonderoga. 

Will. — We ought to remember that, because it 
was one of the famous forts during the French and 
Indian war. 

Mother. — The English had said, " It would be a 
great thing if we could manage to cut off New 
England from the rest of the colonies ! In that 
case they could not hear from Congress, and they 
could not get any troops from the south. There 
would be nothing for them to do but to surrender." 

Will. — I tell you, the Yankees wouldn't do 
that! 

Mother. — In order to carry out this plan, Gen- 



THE AMERICAN CAUSE MORE HOPEFUL. 233 

eral Burgoyne was sent up the St. Lawrence with 
eight thousand regular troops, besides Canadians 
and Indians. He went up to Lake Ciiamplain. 

Will. — And of course took Fort Ticonderoga. 

Mother. — From there he was to march to the 
Hudson, and so push on to New York. 

Will. — I see. If he could do that, New Eng- 
land would be cut off. 

Mother. — The first thing he did after taking 
Fort Ticonderoga was to spy out what military 
stores the Americans had collected in that region. 
There was a large supply of ammunition at Ben- 
nington, Vermont, which Burgoyne was determined 
to destroy. 

When the people of Vermont found this out, they 
sent a letter to the New Hampshire Assembly, beg- 
ging for help. And the help was not long in 
coming. Men came Hocking from all directions to 
save Bennington, as they had done to protect 
Concord. 

Luckily there was an American officer near at 
the time, who had fought bravely at Bunker Hill, 
and had been in the thickest of the fights at Trenton 
and Princeton. His name was Colonel Stark. The 
English reached Bennington, sure of victory, after 
which they were going to march into Connecticut 
and destroy more ammunition. 



234 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Colonel Stark rallied about him the brave men 
who had left their farms at a moment's warning, 
bringing nothing with them but their muskets. As 
the British approached for the attack, he called 
out, — 

" There are the red-coats ! We must conquer 
them, or Molly Stark is a widow ! " 

The New Englanders had a glorious victory. 
They lost less than one hundred men, while the 
enemy lost eight hundred. 

Will. — I guess Bennington kept its ammunition. 

Mother. — Yes ; and there was added to it a 
large quantity of cannon, guns, and powder taken 
from the English. 

This battle crippled General Burgoyne very 
much ; so that he was obliged to wait for more 
ammunition before he tried again to capture mili- 
tary stores. 

Will. — Pity about that ! 

Mother. — The whole country was alive with 
excitement. Washington sent many of his best 
troops, to be ready for another battle, which he 
knew must soon come. Congress rallied men from 
all parts of the country to join the northern wing 
of the army ; so that a large number gathered at 
Saratoga, under command of General Gates» 

Find Saratoga on the map. 



THE AMERICAN CAUSE MORE HOPEFUL. 235 

Lizzie. — Here it is : in New York, north of Al- 
bany, not far from the Hudson River. 

Mother. — The Americans made several little 
attacks on different parts of Burgoyne's army ; but 
the final battle came off at Saratoga. 

Will. — Which side beat? 

Mother. — Burgoyne was completely routed. In- 
stead of pushing down to Albany and eating his 
Christmas dinner, as he had boasted he would do, 
he was obliged to surrender. This was a terrible 
blow to British power in America. Burgoyne had 
lost, through these battles, since he first landed in 
Canada, ten thousand men, besides large stores of 
ammunition. 

Will. — Only think ! ten thousand red-coats lost 
to Engiaiid ! 

Lizzie. — No ; they wore not all red-coats. There 
were some Indians and Canadians among them. 

Mother. — Many of this number were killed, 
many deserted, but several thousands became pris- 
oners in the hands of the Yankees. 

Lizzie. — How the good news must have cheered 
Washington ! 

Mother. — It had a wonderful effect, not only 
giving hope to the suffering troops, but making the 
whole country rejoice. It also helped the American 
cause in Europe. Franklin had no difficulty now 



236 



THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



in getting a hearing at the French court ; and France 
signed a treaty, promising help to America, which it 
now called a free and independent country. I doubt 
if there was another 



man living who could 
have done the good 
service which Frank- 
lin did in this way. 




Franklin at the French Court. 



Will. — And what did England say about it all? 
Mother. — Parliament began to think there was 
some truth in what Franklin had said -that if the 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 237 

Americans once began to fight for their indepen- 
dence, they would never give up till they were 
free. The English also thought it was time to treat 
the Americans a little more civilly. 

Will. — Perhaps George III. didn't like the idea 
of another war with France just then. 

Mother. — Already many of his people were get- 
ting tired of the war with America. Besides, the 
other countries of Europe began to favor American 
freedom. 

Will. — And the king wouldn't like to have all 
Europe in war against him. 

Mother. — Eor those reasons, the king sent word 
to the colonies that they might have all they had 
asked for before the war began. 

Will. — Rather late to answer their petitions 
now ! 

Mother. — So the Americans thought ; and they 
sent word back that, although in the beginning 
they only Avanted their rights as English colonists, 
they would now be satisfied with nothing short of 
their freedom. And so the war went on, 

Lizzie. — I should think the Americans must have 
felt very glad when they heard that France would 
help them. 

Will. — But the English generals wouldn't be 
very glad ! 



238 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — As soon as General Howe heard that 
war-ships were coming over from France, he thought 
best to leave Philadelphia, and join his other troops 
near New York, expecting there might be a battle 
when the French arrived. 

Lizzie. — So if the English did get Philadelphia, 
they had to leave it, as they once left Boston. 

Will. — Where was Washington all this time ? 

Mother. — As soon as he heard that General 
Howe had left Philadelphia, he followed after ; and 
at Monmouth Court-House there was a battle fought, 
in which the English lost many more than the 
Americans. General Howe was glad, when night 
came on, to silently steal away to New York. 

Washington followed him, and stationed his troops 
so that he could watch the English army. 

Will. — And was there fighting when the French 
came? 

Mother. — There were no large battles for a long 
time. During the next year, the English destroyed 
many small towns, which did not help their cause 
very much, nor do any great injury to the Ameri- 
cans. 

It seemed as if the English generals were vexed 
because they had lost so many men in battle, or 
because the war had lasted so long ; and they gave 
vent to their feelings by constant cruelties. Their 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 239 

excuse was, that they expected in this way to fright- 
en the people into submission to the king. 

Will. — A poor way to bring it about ! 

Mother. — The English lost more than they gained 
in this way ; for every new outrage which the 
Americans heard of, only made them more deter- 
mined to fight on for their freedom. 

Lizzie. — What states sufiered most in this way ? 

Mother. — Towns were plundered and burned in 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New 
Jersey, and many people put to death. 

Lizzie. — I don't believe Washington would have 
let his men do so. 

Mother. — He was much opposed to all kinds of 
needless cruelty, and did everything in his power 
to make his men kind. 

Once, when a party of red-coats made a raid into 
Connecticut, General Putnam had a chance to show 
his valor and patriotism. — By the way, do you re- 
member where you first heard of General Putnam ? 

Lizzie. — I do ; at Bunker Hill. He was afraid 
his men would waste their powder by firing on the 
enemy too soon. But what were you going to 
tell us? 

Mother. — When he heard that the English were 
approaching the town of Greenwich, and that they 
were destroying houses and mills, he gathered about 



240 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

him a few men of the neighborhood, determined to 
do all in his power to save the town. He had but 
a hundred and fifty men, while the English had ten 
times as many. He had two cannons, which he 
placed on the top of a steep hill. As soon as the 
enemy came near enough, he fired his cannons. 

Will. — What could a hundred and fifty men do 
against fifteen hundred? 

Mother. — Most of the red- coats were on horse- 
back. When Putnam saw the English dragoons 
were about to make a charge on them, he ordered 
his men to flee into a swamp near by, where horses 
could not enter. 

Will. — And what did Putnam himself do ? 

Mother. — He was the last one upon the hill. 
Finding himself in great danger of being overtaken, 
he struck his spurs into his horse, and galloped 
down the rocky steep. The English dragoons dared 
not follow, but they fired upon him, one bullet pass- 
ing through his hat. 

He escaped to the next town, where he rallied 
more men. He could not face the enemy in open 
battle, but he followed them when they were leaving 
the town, and took fifty prisoners. 

Will. — Brave old Put ! 

Mother. — The English officer, on learning after- 
wards of the kind treatment these prisoners re- 
ceived, wrote a letter of thanks to General Putnam. 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 241 



XXVI. 

THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 

Lizzie. — If I had been living a hundred years 
ago, I should rather have lived in one of the south- 
ern states, because the people there didn't know as 
much about the war as they did in the north. 

Will. — I don't say that ! I should like to have 
been where I could help drive the red-coats out of 
the country. 

Mother. — Do not imagine that the southern 
states were free from the horrors of war. During 
the years 1779 and 1780, the people at the south 
had dreadful times. 

As the English were so unsuccessful in getting 
control of the middle and northern states, they 
determined to try their luck in Georgia. 

Will. — That was the state farthest south. 

Mother. — And it was not so strongly defended 
as the others. Many of the people in Georgia and 
the two Carolinas were Tories. 

Lizzie. — What do you mean by Tories ? 

Mother. — The Tories were people sympathizing 
with the king. 
16 



242 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — Then they didn't believe in the war. 

Mother. — No; and General Clinton rightly thought 
that Georgia would be more willing than New Eng- 
land to submit. Take your maps, and see what city 
you should think the English would take first. 

Will. — I suppose the largest city, Savannah. 

Mother. — General Clinton sent a large body of 
troops, under command of one of his colonels, to 
take this place. The people of Georgia were com- 
pletely surprised ; and Savannah fell at once into 
the hands of the English. 

After this, General Provost arrived with more 
troops, and took command of all the English forces. 
Soon he had possession of the whole state. 

Lizzie. — dear ! Why didn't Washington send 
some soldiers down there ? 

Mother. — The few American troops stationed 
there fought desperately before they gave up. A 
large body of French soldiers went there too, to 
help them. But their general was soon wounded, 
so that the French were of little use at this time. 

The English then marched north, and captured 
the largest city of South Carolina. 

Will. — That was Charleston. 

Mother. — British troops were sent into every 
part of the state ; and the people had to do just 
what the invaders said they must, or be punished. 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 243 

Will. — What ! Were there no brave men there 
to stand up for their rights, and drive o& the cow- 
ards? 

Mother. — As I told you, there were many who 
sympathized with the king — 

Lizzie. — Yes — Tories ! 

Mother, — And these Tories said, " What is the 
use of carrying on the war any longer? America 
will never be free. If the colonists (jnly do what 
George III. asks, he will treat them welL Besides, 
we cannot help ourselves." 

Lizzie. — I wish James Otis or Patrick Henry had 
been there to stir up the people. 

Will. — Better still if they could have had Old 
Put! 

Mother. — South Carolina did not submit to 
British rule so easily as Georgia had done. There 
were many stanch patriots there, who would have 
died rather than give up their liberties. Be- 
sides, the English were hurting their own cause 
very much by treating the people unkindly. They 
burned houses, destroyed fields of rice and to- 
bacco, and drove hundreds of women and chil- 
dren from their homes. These innocent victims 
wandered through the swamps half clothed and 
half starved. 

Besides this, the English oflScers gave their men 



244 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

leave to steal everything they could lay their hands 
on. All this savage treatment worked well for the 
Americans. Many Tories now turned patriots. " If 
George III. allows his officers to treat people in this 
way, he needn't expect South Carolina to be his 
colony any longer," they said. 

As I told you, there were fortunately many brave 
men in the Carolinas, who were determined to resist 
the oppressions of the British. One of the most 
famous of these South Carolina patriots was named 
Marion. His father was a Huguenot. 

Lizzie. — 0,1 remember about the Huguenots ! 
They came from France, and settled in South Caro- 
lina. 

Mother. — Marion was a poor man. He worked 
at farming before the war. But every one who 
knew him respected him, for he was brave, honest, 
and kind-hearted. He had a great talent for drilling- 
men into soldiers. 

When he saw how the English were treating the 
southerners, he was very indignant, and rallied a 
little company of men around him, who promised to 
fight in case of need. He had one singular trait as 
an officer: he never compelled his men to stay in 
service. He used to say, " If a man doesn't love 
his country well enough to stay, he won't make a 
good soldier, and I don't want him." 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 245 

Will. — That made his men ashamed to run 
away. 

Mother. —He rarely had a man desert him. 
Another singular fact about Marion was, that he 
had no one place for his little band of heroes to 
stay in. When they were not engaged in fighting, 
they all went home to take care of their farms and 
their families. 

Will. — How did they know when they were 
wanted ? 

Mother. — Marion had a secret signal which his 
men all understood ; and when they heard the signal 
they would leave everything and hasten to their 
leader. 

He never had many men under his command at a 
time ; but he was a great torment to the English. 
Having no ammunition, and the colony being too 
poor to give him any, he depended on what he got 
from the enemy. Knowing every swamp and everv 
forest in South Carolina, Marion and his men would 
secrete themselves near the English, and spring out 
upon them, wlien they supposed he was at the other 
end of the colon3\ 

Will. — You said the English were scattered all 
over the state. So I suppose Marion attacked small 
parties of the troops, instead of going into regular 
battles with the army. 



246 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 

Mother. — That was his constant plan. He finally 
became such a plague to the enemy, that they sent 
out large bodies of men to find him. 

Lizzie. — Why, they hunted him as they would a 
wild beast. Did they catch him? 

Mother. — Many a time they would drive him to a 
forest or swamp, sure that they would take him back 
to the camp a prisoner ; but to their astonishment 
he would disappear. So they gave him the name 
of the Swamp Fox. 

There was a great difference between Marion and 
the English officers. He always treated his prison- 
ers well, while the English would often hang a dozen 
American prisoners without a moment's warning. 

Nothing made Marion so angry as to find his men 
plundering, or treating any one unkindly. 

Will. — Then the people must have liked Marion 
best. He didn't have to fight the English in South 
Carolina without any help — did he ? 

Mother. — General Gates was sent down with a 
large number of men. He was much needed, for 
Cornwallis himself was at the head of the British 
forces in the south. 

Lizzie. — Then I guess something was done for the 
Americans, for Gates was the general that gained 
such a victory at Saratoga, when Burgoyne had to 
give up. 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 247 

Mother. — Every one expected this ; but people 
were disappointed. General Gates fought the 
enemy several times, but always met with great 
loss. So he was finally called back, and General 
Greene was sent down. 

Will. — You haven't told us much about him. 

Mother. — General Greene was second only to 
Washington. Indeed, Washington himself had the 
greatest confidence in him, saying that he was 
" wise, brave, and cool," three very important traits 
in a commander. 

General Greene was much shocked at the brutal 
manner in which Cornwallis treated his prisoners 
and those people of South Carolina who showed a 
love of America. But from the first, he gave orders 
that his men should treat all kindly. 

Lizzie. — The southerners must have hated Corn- 
wallis. 

Mother. — The friends of George III. were de- 
creasing rapidly ; and Cornwallis saw that the Eng- 
lish power in South Cai'olina was daily growing 
weaker. 

Will. — Wasn't General Greene glad to have the 
help of Marion? 

Mother. — Yes. For some reason. Gates had 
taken but little notice of him ; but General Greene 
knew his worth, and at once sent word to him that 



248 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

he hoped he would keep on serving his country; 
and he sent Marion a large number of soldiers. 

General Greene divided his army into two parts, 
sending the larger portion to the western part of 
the state. His plan was to drive the English to- 
w^ards the coast. Soon there was a large battle at 
a place called Cowpens, in which the Americans lost 
but a few men, while the enemy lost hundreds, 
besides a great deal of ammunition. 

There were several battles during the next year, 
in which the English were victorious ; but they 
often lost so much, in men and stores, that they 
thought best to retreat. 

At one time the Americans under General Greene 
retreated, and were chased by Cornwallis across 
North Carolina into Virginia. 

Will. — 0, why didn't General Greene make a 
stand and face the English ? 

Mother. — For the same reason that many battles 
were lost by the Americans : most of them were 
without shoes, and were poorly clothed. Besides 
this, they did not have half enough to eat. 

You would think that Cornwallis, with his finely 
drilled troops, could easily overtake our barefooted, 
half-starved soldiers ; but it was singular that twice, 
when the red-coats were about to attack the. rear 
of the army, the Americans escaped by crossing 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 249 

rivers, and when they were safely on the other side, 
a sudden rise of the streams delayed Cornwallis, 
so that when he got across, the Americans were 
miles away. 

Will. — Good ! Wasn't that strange — that the 
water should rush to the help of the Americans ? 

Mother. — Cornwallis finally gave up the chase ; 
and Greene, going around the English army, re- 
turned into North Carolina. The two armies had a 
battle here, in which the English were much crip- 
pled. After this, Greene went again into South 
Carolina ; and b}^ the help of Marion and other brave 
officers he succeeded in driving the enemy back 
from the interior ; so that at the close of the year 
all the places held by Cornwallis in the south were 
Charleston and Savannah. 

Will. — I know what made the Americans beat 
so often : it was because they loved their country, 
and because they had pluck. That's what did it. 

Mother. — You remind me of a story about Ma- 
rion, which I will tell before we close our talk about 
the war in the south. 

Lizzie. - — 0, good ! Do tell us ! 

Mother, — One day, after a severe battle, an Eng- 
lish officer brought into Marion's camp a white flag, 
or flag of truce, to ask for an exchange of prisoners. 
After the business was over, the officer was about 



250 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to leave, when Marion urged him to remain and 
dine. The officer, either too polite or too curious 
to refuse, accepted the invitation. 

He looked around and saw a fire, but no other 
signs of a repast, and was greatly surprised when he 
heard Marion tell one of his men to bring in the din- 
ner. He was still more astonished when he found 
that their only plates were clean pieces of bark, and 
all they had to eat was a quantity of sweet potatoes 
that had been nicely baked in the glowing ashes of 
the fire. 

" Excuse me, General Marion," said the English 
officer ; " but is this your usual fare ? " 

" Well, no, sir," answered Marion. " 1 am glad 
to say, since you are here to share my dinner, that 
it is better than usual." 

" What ! " exclaimed the English officer, as he 
looked about upon the sturdy men in Marion's camp, 
" do you mean to say that your troops are willing to 
put up with such rations ? You must have to pay 
them well." 

" Sir," exclaimed Marion in return, " do you sup- 
pose my men stay by me for wages merely, or for 
what they get to eat ? We are fighting for our 
country, for freedom ; and we shall keep on fighting 
as long as body and soul hold together." 

The English officer could say no more. He was 



THE WAR AT THE SOUTH. 251 

SO impressed by what he had seen and heard, that 
he gave up his commission, and went home to Eng- 
land. " Such men deserve their freedom," said 
he ; '' and I'll not be one to hinder them from get- 
ting it." 



252 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



XXVII. 

A TRAITOR. 

Mother. — To-night I will tell you about a man 
whose name even is like a blot on my story — Ben- 
edict Arnold. 

Lizzie. — If he was a bad man, I hope he wasn't 
an American. 

Mother. — He was one of those who hastened to 
join the army at Cambridge, after the battles of 
Lexington and Concord. 

He had received a good education, and was very 
talented. This brought liim into notice, and he soon 
received an important place in the army. He 
showed so much courage and coolness in time of 
danger, and understood so well the managing of an 
army, that Washington looked upon him as one of 
his best officers. But he was never a favorite. He 
was selfish and fond of showing his power. His 
greatest fault was his love of money. To got that, 
he often did what any high-minded man would 
scorn to do. He was generally in debt. Notwith- 
standing all this, he was so able a man that finally 
he became a general. 



A TRAITOR. 253 

At the time of Burgoyne's surrender, Arnold 
received a severe wound, which unfitted him for 
active service for some time. And as Washington 
thought highly of his skill as an officer, he peti- 
tioned Congress to give him command of the forces 
in Philadelphia, after the English left it. But his 
career in that place was not pleasing to the patriots. 
He made intimate acquaintances with the enemies 
of his country. He married the daughter of a lead- 
ing Tory — a beautiful and accomplished young lady. 

Will. — I don't know that he ought to be blamed 
for that. 

Mother, — What was most disliked in him there, 
was his extravagant way of living. 

Will. — Of course that showed he wasn't a true 
patriot. 

Lizzie. — If he had been, he would have helped 
the poor soldiers, instead of spending so much on 
himself 

Mother. — Every one saw that he spent more 
than his income. He rode in an elegant coach 
drawn by four horses, and kept a great many ser- 
vants. He gave very costly parties. 

Finally people became so vexed, that the authori- 
ties of Philadelphia sent a complaint to Congress, 
saying they felt sure that he was spending the pub- 
lic money for his own use. 



254 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Congress appointed a number of army officers to 
look into his affairs. His money matters showed 
either wrong management or dishonesty, and Arnold 
was reprimanded. 

Lizzie. — I don't know what you mean by that. 

Mother. — Congress told him he must behave 
himself or lose his place. This made Arnold very 
angry. He said to himself, '' Here I have been 
working hard for the country these four years. I 
have often risked my life where other officers dared 
not go. And this is the pay I get ! " 

He was deeply in debt at this time. He resolved 
to make a desperate plunge to save himself, even 
if he ruined his country. 

Lizzie. — 0, he wouldn't do that ! 

Mother. — You have not heard yet of West Point, 
so I must tell you it is on the Hudson, and was then 
considered one of the most important places in the 
country. 

Will. — Then I suppose there was a fort there. 

Mother. — Yes ; and Washington caused it to be 
well supplied with cannon and ammunition, so that it 
would be impossible for the enemy to take it. Find 
it on your maps, and see if you can tell why it was 
such an important place. 

Will, — If the British had the Hudson, they 
could cut off New England from the other states. 



A TRAITOE. 255 

Mother. — The traitor Arnold sent word to Gen- 
eral Clinton that he would give it over to England. 

Lizzie. — 0, what could make him so wicked ? 

Will. — I don't see how he could bring this 
about. 

Mother. — After leaving Philadelphia, he sent to 
Washington, asking the command of West Point. 
Washington gave him the place. For eighteen 
months Arnold secretly wrote letters to General 
Clinton. At last the time had come when West 
Point was to be given to the English, But Arnold 
must be sure of his money. He must get a written 
paper, signed by General Clinton, promising to pay 
over the sum at a given time. So he wrote, asking 
to meet some English officer of rank, who should 
bring the important paper. In return he would 
give a plan of West Point, telling how many troops 
were in it, and showing the easiest place of attack. 

General Clinton chose young Major Andre for this 
service. Andr^ was a great favorite, kind-hearted, 
accomplished, brave, and handsome. One dark night 
he and Arnold, both disguised, met among the 
bushes on the banks of the Hudson. They ex- 
changed papers, Andr^ concealing his between his 
stockings and the soles of his feet. 

After a long talk, morning began to dawn, and 
Arnold was soon safely back at West Point. But 



256 THE STORY OP OUE COU x. 

Major Andr^ was not so fortunate. On his way 
to the English camp, he was met by thi .-e sturdy 
young Americans, who were out watching the road 
lest English soldiers should go into the country to 
plunder. 

One of these men, John Paulding, pointed a mus- 
ket at Andr^, commanding him to '' halt ! " 

The three Americans were somewhat disguised ; 
and Andre's heart rejoiced, for he felt sure he was 
with English soldiers. Forgetting himself, he said, — 

" I am a British oflScer. Do not st(^'^> me, for I 
am. on very important business ! " 

As he said this, he drew out an elegant gold 
watch. This made Paulding feel sure that he was 
a British officer ; for gold watches were then very 
scarce in the colonies. So Paulding said, — 

" We are Americans, and you are our pris; . aer ! " 

Then they searched him, and found the important 
papers. 

" Heavens!" exclaimed Paulding, when he glanced 
r.t them ; '' he is a spy ! " 

Andrd tried to buy himself off. 

" Let me go," he said, " and I will ■ vqu my 

horse and five hundred dollars." 

" If you would give us five thousand dollars," an- 
swered his captors, " we would not let you stir a 
step." 



A TEAITOK. 257 

And Andrd was soon within prison- walls. 

Lizzie. — Poor Andre ! 

Will. — Brave, honest John Paulding saved his 
country. 

Mother. — Washington had heard nothing of the 
arrest. On that very day he had sent word to Ar- 
nold that Lafayette and himself would be his guests 
next morning. 

Suspecting nothing, they were escorted up the 
Hudson. As they drew near the fort, Washington 
was greatly surprised that no military salute was 
fired. He was still more astonished to be informed 
on landing, that Arnold was away. 

Soon a messenger arrived, with the papers found 
in Andre's stockings. Washington looked them 
over, and handed them to Lafayette, exclaiming, — 

" Whom can we trust now ? " 

Instantly he sent out troops to find Arnold and 
arrest him. But it was too late ; he was already in 
the British camp. 

Lizzie. — And Major Andrd — what became of him? 

Mother. — He was tried, found guilty, and con- 
demned to die. 

When General Clinton heard of this, he wrote to 
Washington, begging that his life might be spared. 
But Washington could not grant the request ; and 
Andre died bravely as he had lived, 
17 



258 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Will. — And Arnold — the black traitor? 

Mother. — He received a part of his money ; but 
the English ofl&cers and soldiers all hated him. 

After this he led a body of British troops into 
Virginia, trying to subdue that colony. But he was , 
unsuccessful. Washington sent Lafayette to oppose 
him, and he was soon driven out of the state. 

The longer Arnold lived, the more he was 
shunned; and he died in London, a despised man. 



VICTORY AT LAST. 259 



XXVIII. 

VICTORY AT LAST. 

Mother. — The war had now been going on for 
six years. 

Will. — Then you are going to tell us about the 
year 1781. 

Mother. — Washington had had much to discour- 
age him during the year 1780. 

Will. — Arnold had done a mean thing, to be 
sure ; but the English hadn't made much headway. 

Lizzie. — They had been driven out of North 
Carolina, and had left New Jersey. 

Will. — And they didn't hold any part of the 
soutliern states but Charleston and Savannah. 

Mother. — That is true. But you must remember 
that during the war business was stopped in a great 
measure, which made the times harder every year. 
As the people were earning less money than usual, 
they couldn't pay their taxes ; so that Congress 
found it very difficult to get money for the soldiers. 
At first the soldiers didn't mind this; but after a 
while it became very hard to bear. 

Lizzie. — Why, yes ; because if the soldiers 



260 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

couldn't have their pay, they had nothing to send 
home to their families. 

Mother. — The fare, too, of the men in the army 
was wretchedly poor. This caused many to lose 
their health. At one time the Pennsylvania soldiers 
mutinied — that is, they declared they would desert 
unless they could have better fare. 

This troubled Washington more than anything 
else, for he knew the soldiers were not greatly to 
blame. He urged Congress to make still greater 
efforts to help the army. 

Will. — I don't see what Congress could do when 
it couldn't get money. 

Mother. — There is no knowing what might have 
happened to the Americans if it had not been for a 
few rich men who loved their country better than 
their wealth. These generous patriots gave a great 
deal of money to Congress, because they pitied the 
distress of the soldiers. Besides this, France sent 
over a large sum. These helps were a great relief 
to Washington, for he had been afraid that the army 
would be broken up. 

Will. — Then the English would have beaten, 
sure ! 

Mother. — In 1781, Washington felt that some 
decisive steps must be taken to weaken the English 
array. General Clinton was still idle in New York. 



VICTOEY AT LAST. 261 

Will. — And Cornwallis was in South Caro- 
lina? 

MoTHEE. — He had left the Carolinas and marched 
into Virginia. Here he was doing great mischief, 
destroying all the property that came in his way. 
Finally, he made a stop at Yorktown, which he be- 
gan to fortify. — Find it, please. 

Lizzie. — I see it. It is near Chesapeake Bay, on 
the York River. 

Whll. — And there is James River, not far off, 

MoTHEE. — Just opposite Yorktown is a point of 
land called Gloucester. This Cornwallis also forti- 
fied. 

Lizzie. — Where was Washington at this time ? 

MoTHEE. — He was still near New York. He had 
made up his mind to attack Clinton ; but just then 
he heard the good news that a large French fleet 
would soon reach Chesapeake Bay. 

Lizzie. — Did he give up his plan, then, of attack- 
ing General Clinton ? 

MoTHEE. — Yes ; but he took great pains to con- 
ceal the fact. He caused a large place to be marked 
out for an encampment in New Jersey. Ovens were 
built, and fuel was piled up for the baking of bread. 
Even his own men thought Washington's plan was 
to attack New York. The day came when the sup- 
posed attack was to be made. The men were 



262 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

marching, as they thought, towards the city ; when 
suddenly they were ordered to face about, and they 
found themselves started for the south. 

Before they reached Virginia, however, Clinton 
guessed their object ; and in order to draw back a 
part of the American troops, he sent the traitor 
Arnold into Connecticut, with a body of red-coats. 
Two or three towns were plundered and then 
burned. 

Will. — Washington was too wise to be cheated 
by him, I hope. 

Mother. — He had left enough troops at West 
Point and other places on the Hudson to meet any 
immediate need ; and he kept on towards Yorktown. 

On his way he stopped at his home. Mount Ver- 
non. It was the first time he had been there for 
six years. But, dear as the spot was to him, he felt 
he must not pause more than a few hours. He 
pushed on, and soon arrived with his army before 
Yorktown. Here he was made very happy by the 
news that the French had arrived before him, and 
had blocked York and James rivers. 

Will, — Good ! Was Lafayette in Virginia then? 

Mother. — Yes : and by Washington's orders he 
was sent to prevent Cornwallis from retreating into 
North Carolina. 

Lafayette was soon joined by a large body of the 



VICTORY AT LAST. 263 

French soldiers. He quickly arranged his troops 
in a semicircle around the English array. Cornwallis 
could now make no retreat back into Virginia, 
neither could he receive food or any kind of help 
from the surrounding country. The French fleet 
prevented him from receiving aid by way of the 

sea. 

Will. — Aha, Mr. Cornwallis, you got shut, up 
that time, like a mouse in a trap ! 

MoTHEE. — The British army soon began to be 
greatly distressed for want of food ; and they had 
to kill many of their horses to make the grain hold 

out. 

Cornwallis sent word to Clinton that he must have 
help soon, or he would be obliged to give up. 

Will. — He did not have as many troops as 
Washington — did he ? 

Mother. — No ; the American and French troops 
together numbered sixteen thousand. Cornwallis 
had but half that number. 

Will. — I can see that things began to look 
pretty bright now for the Americans. Cornwallis 
couldn't get away by land or sea without breaking 
through the American forces. 

Lizzie. — And for once his men couldn't get 
enough to eat. 

Mother. — There was nothing left for Cornwallis 



•264 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

to do but to wait for help from Clinton, and to make 
his forts stronger. 

Will. - — I hope Washington let the red-coats 
smell some of his powder before Clinton arrived. 

Mother. — On the 9th of October, 1781, orders 
were given to bombard Cornwallis's forts. Wash- 
ington himself put the match to the first gun. A 
furious discharge of cannon followed, and Lord 
Cornwallis received his first salutation. This bom- 
bardment was kept up for several days. 

Cornwallis's ammunition began to fail, and he saw 
that he could no longer hold out. Rather than give 
up, he decided to try to escape by night. He hoped 
to break through the French troops, and make his 
way to join Clinton in New York. 

Sixteen boats were secretly prepared. A large 
part of the troops had crossed the river before mid- 
night. The remainder were about to enter the 
boats, when a violent storm of wind and rain arose, 
which scattered the boats and drove them down the 
river. They were brought back with difiiculty. 
It was too near daybreak to get the remaining 
troops across. The army, already weakened, must 
not be divided. The recovered boats were used 
to bring back the troops that had already crossed. 

Cornwallis now saw that his case was hopeless. 
If he kept on fighting, he would lose what brave 



VICTOEY AT LAST. 265 

men had not already fallen through sickness or 
battle. Nothing was left for him to do but to 
give up. 

Will. — That's just the way General Howe had 
to get out of Boston. Did Cornwallis lose many 
men? 

Mother. — Between five and six hundred had 
been killed. The rest became prisoners to the 
Americans. 

Will. — I say, wasn't that a big victory ? 

Lizzie. — And so few men killed ! I am glad of 
that. But you didn't tell us how many we lost. 

Mother. — The Americans and French together 
lost but about three hundred men. 

I think there is nothing that better shows us 
Washington's greatness as a general than the fact 
that his most brilliant victories were gained by 
skilful managing, rather than by having many men 
killed. 1 have read stories of generals who have 
won great victories, that the world will always talk 
about ; but I never read of any successful com- 
mander who lost fewer men than Washington. 

Will. — I wish I could have seen how the red- 
coats looked when they marched out of Yorktown. 
Did our troops see them ? 

Mother. — Our army was drawn up in two lines, 
each more than a mile long — the Americans on one 



266 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

side of the road, the French on the other ; Wash- 
ington, mounted on a noble horse and attended by 
his officers, in front of his men, and the French 
commander and his suite in front of theirs. 

Lizzie. — I suppose it was easy to tell which were 
the French, for they would have nicer uniforms. 

Mother. — And they had a band of music play- 
ing — a luxury that our troops could never afford. 

Will. — The American soldiers didn't have on 
such fine clothes, of course. But 0, how proud 
they must have looked as they stood there, waiting 
to see the king's troops — brave English red- coats 
— march out as their prisoners I 

Mother. — Soon the British troops appeared. 
They were all in new uniforms ; but they looked 
anything but soldier-like. Their drums were beat- 
ing a British march ; but their step was careless 
and irregular, their looks were sullen. How could 
they help it, when they saw their flags closely 
folded, instead of fluttering in the breeze ? 

As Cornw^allis was sick, they were led by one 
of his generals, who, riding up to Washington, de- 
livered to him his sword. In like manner, the 
officer of the English fleet gave up his sword to 
the French commander. 

Then, in the name of the American people, the 
English army was ordered to pass into an adjoining 



VICTORY AT LAST. 267 

field, where they were commanded to lay down 
their arms upon the ground. This vexed the red- 
coats so much that many of them threw down their 
muskets with such violence as to break them. 

After this the prisoners were led back to York- 
town, where they were to await orders from 
Congress. 

Will. — I wonder what General Clinton thought 
when he heard the news ! 

Mother. — Five days after the surrender, General 
Clinton with seven thousand men arrived off the 
coast of Virginia. But when he heard of the fate 
of his comrade Cornwallis, he set sail again for New 
York. 

Lizzie. — And what did the people of America 
say? 

Mother. — At the news of the glorious victory, 
great rejoicing broke forth from one end of the 
country to the other. Bells were rung, cannons 
fired, and towns illuminated everywhere. Congress 
set apart a day of thanksgiving, in gratitude to 
God, who had helped the colonies gain their inde- 
pendence. 

Lizzie. — And did George III. really say now 
that the colonies were free? 

Mother. — It was a bitter disappointment to him 
to lose so much territory ; and for a year or two 



268 THE STORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

after the surrender of Cornwallis he was unwilling 
to recognize American independence. But people 
in England had become very tired of the war; and 
the best men in Parliament voted that peace should 
be declared. So George III. finally gave his unwill- 
ing assent. 

Several men were sent from America and England 
to Paris, to talk over the conditions of peace. The 
principal one from this country was Franklin. It 
took several months to settle upon terms that were 
satisfactory to all. But in 1783, a treaty was signed. 

The English soldiers were called home ; and 
George III. acknowledged to the world that the 
United States of America were free and inde- 
pendent. 

Will. — Hurrah for Washington ! 

Lizzie. — Now that the war was over, Washing- 
ton and all our tired soldiers could go home and 
rest. 

Will. — They had had a hard time of it — eight 
years in camp and field 1 



THE SHIP OF STATE. 269 



XXIX. 

THE SHIP OF STATE. 

Mother. — As I think of our country a little less 
than a hundred years ago, she seems to me like a 
great ship, in a rough and boisterous sea. As she 
is tossed by the stormy billows, she seems impatient 
to traverse the ocean, and try her speed with other 
great ships. I see many passengers on board, and 
gallant sailors ready and willing for work. But I 
hear them say they have no chart and no compass. 

Will. — Then they can't be safe, far away from 
shore. 

Lizzie. — Why don't the captain send for a chart? 

Mother, — The ship has no captain. Many pas- 
sengers think this is no matter. But the more 
thoughtful are anxious, and say, '' We shall be 
wrecked, if we go to sea as we are." 

Will. — 1 see what you mean. The sailors are the 
men who want to serve their country. The chart 
and compass are the right kind of government, 

Lizzie. — And by the captain you mean a leader. 

Mother, — I think you are beginning to see what 
our country needed. People in Europe were watch- 



270 THE STORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

ing America with the greatest interest. Kings and 
emperors said, " The idea of so many people trying 
to govern themselves ! They will soon get to quar- 
relling with each other ; then we shall see what will 
become of them." 

But the best and wisest men everywhere hoped 
that America would become what the forefathers 
said it should — an asylum for the poor and op- 
pressed of all lands. 

Lizzie. — If there were men wise enough to make 
the Declaration of Independence, I should think there 
would be no trouble in getting a chart for America. 

Mother. — You are right. Three years after 
peace was declared, the principal men of the 
country met together to decide upon the best plan 
of government ; only they didn't call it a chart, but 
a constitution. 

They finally agreed on what would be best for 
the country ; and all the states promised to be 
guided by this constitution. 

Will. — Now they wanted a leader. 

Mother. — And whom do you think they chose ? 

Lizzie. — I guess Franklin. 

Mother. — The people chose their first leader in 
1789. Think a moment, and you will see how old 
Franklin was at this time. 

Lizzie. —Franklin was born in 1706. So he must- 



THE SHIP OF STATE. 



271 



have been eighty-three years old. Of course he 
couldn't work for the country much longer. I am 
sorry, for who would make so good a leader? 

0^ 




Washington as first President. 



Will. — I think they chose Washington. He had 
been with the people so much during the war that 
everybody loved him. 



272 THE STOKY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mother. — And every one had the greatest confi' 
dence in him. Enjoying a peaceful country life, he 
was at first very unwilling to accept the office. 
Besides, he modestly felt that he was not capable 
of worthily filling this highest place in the govern- 
ment. But the people would not even think of any 
one else. And from one end of the country to the 
other came up the voice, "Washington is the Father 
of his Country. He defended us in times of dan- 
ger ; he will preserve us in times of peace." 

So our beloved Washington became the first 
President. 

The seat of government was then in New York ; 
and while Washington was on his way to take the 
presidential chair, it seemed as if the people could 
not do enough to show their devotion and gratitude. 
Every town and city through which he passed fired 
cannons of salute. Triumphal arches were raised. 
The overflowing houses were decked with flags and 
loving mottoes. Crowds greeted him everywhere. 
The fathers shouted cheers of welcome. The moth- 
ers wept tears of joy. The young maidens sang 
songs of rejoicing, and strewed flowers in his way. 
And through it all rode our noble Washington, his 
heart filled with thankfulness for the past and hope 
for the future of Our Country. 



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prici'S Our roiiiplele catalogue free 

EE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 



